It Was Her Ginger Hair
by Indieblue
Summary: Theodore Nott found his eyes being drawn to the ginger hair swishing down her back as she moved to the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. Last night she bumped into him at the Slytherin house party because Blaise had knocked into her; the first thing she said to him was, "you're the Nott guy that my roommate wants to shag right?" Non-canon, DH AU. Ginny/Theo, Slight Dramione.
1. Run Away With Me

**Hey there! This whole fic started because of how much I ship these two in my other story, Promise. I have to restrain myself from writing too much about them since it is a Dramione story and I really do love Draco and Hermione.**

 **I swore that I would post the first chapter today and here we are. I think I may post this on Monday to cheer people up a little (if my story will help with that) and I've decided to update Promise on Fridays :). So it looks like I'll have updated it thrice this week. I think you've endured me rambling enough.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter (sadly) all rights belong to J.K. Rowling, only the storyline is mine.**

* * *

Soft light was filtering in through the small windows lining the very top of the far wall of the room. The room itself wasn't much, small, square, dusty cobwebs in the corners, faded words were permanently ingrained into the very fabric of the chalkboard at the front of the room. It was sparsely furnished, a broken, sad-looking desk in the far left corner away from the door the only thing that remained; in the middle were two students sitting on the only stable pieces of furniture left-two oak wooden chairs.

One was wearing silver and green, the other red and gold. A snake and a lioness. The female lioness had her long, vibrant ginger hair twisted into an elaborately messy bun on top of her head (it was chaotic just like her), her outer robes disregarded across the back of her chair, caught between her and the wooden back of the chair, her tie was loosened significantly, the top button of her blouse was unbuttoned. The snake on the other hand had taken his tie from around his neck completely, undoing the top two buttons of his white impeccably pressed shirt, and his legs were spread slightly as he slumped down a fraction in his own chair.

"Remind me why we sneak around again?" Ginny sulked, her bottom lip jutting out as she stared meaningfully at him; her legs were crossed and resting in his lap, her feet were hanging over the side of his leg-so as to not get her scuffed black shoes on him.

"Cause Red, my Father is a sadistic bastard and likes taking everything of mine away from me...including my Mother." Theo reminded her, his tone was light and almost airy, but she saw the way his jaw tightened as he said the last bit. Theo pursed his lips then and stared back at his witch-her skirt was tucked under her so he couldn't see anything, it was a shame really.

Theo contemplated on how they had reached this point, and their unconventional introduction came to mind. One of Theo's best mates, Blaise, had accidentally knocked into Ginny, shoving her towards Theo in his drunken stupor; at the time Blaise was making his way over to Daphne to beg for her forgiveness.

To this day Theo hadn't asked Ginny why she was at a Sixth Year Slytherin house party, and she hadn't seemed to think talking about something so trivial was necessary.

Ginny's eyes flicked with something Theo couldn't quite discern and then she sighed heavily before saying, "I just wish we could I don't know, go for a walk?" Ginny sat up then, leaning forward and she took one of his hands in hers. "That this whole war would just go away," she tacked on softly, eyes lowered as she looked at their entangled fingers.

There was a moment of silence before something occurred to Theo, and he found that he just needed to say it before it slipped his mind. "In a couple months when Potter goes gallivanting off to save the Wizarding World, I want you to have no part in it do you hear me?" Theo demanded, looking her directly in her eyes. Which sparked with something a touch wild and a bit defiant.

"I want a lot of things...besides, how do you know he's not coming back to Hogwarts?" Ginny whispered, studying him warily.

Theo straightened up then, leaning forward and clasping Ginny's hand a little bit tighter, "he'd be a fool if he came back, and I'd like to think the brains of the operation won't let him make such a stupid mistake," Theo scoffed, rolling his eyes.

Ginny snorted before she responded, her free hand moving forward to push one of his stray dark curls away from his forehead. "It's not like they were going to invite me anyway. I'll do it...only if you promise me something."

"What?" Theo frowned-brow drawn together harshly, his entire body stiffening. Theo hoped and prayed that it wasn't something crazy and reckless, his witch tended to let the Hero Complex that inherently came with being a Gryffindor and a Weasley drive her to do inane things.

"Defect, come to our side, stay with me." Ginny pleaded, she would resort to begging if she had to, something she was not proud to admit.

Theo mulled over the request in his mind-it hadn't been ever minutely close to what he was thinking she would say, but he had been thinking about that very thing the past few weeks. Especially after some hushed conversations with two others in dark alcoves that had been having similar thoughts. Ginny's request hadn't been what he was expecting, but it hadn't surprised him either.

"Then we're staying as far away from Hogwarts as possible," Theo said easily, relaxing visibly.

"Where would we go? Do you have any ideas?" Ginny asked, absently chewing on her thumb of the hand that wasn't still entangled with his-a trait he found both endearing and entirely unsanitary.

"Mother left this little cottage in her will, it has a Fidelius charm on it and I'm the secret keeper...it's not much, but it'll do," Theo said firmly after a moment's contemplation. He saw Ginny's slight frown and determined that it must have been because he rarely, if ever properly talked about his Mother-and he'd mentioned her twice in less than twenty minutes.

There were two others that he was going to divulge the location to, but he didn't want her to worry unnecessarily with that information just yet, he'd figure out a way to tell her about _them_ later.

"I will still have to go back though Ginny, I can't risk it, they have my sister." Theo said quietly.

"Bring her with us," Ginny replied instantly, as if things were _that_ easy, and that uncomplicated. Oh how he wished it was.

"It's not that easy, she's been in the dungeons underneath our house since she was sixteen. Under heavy lock and key-" Theo clenched his jaw, anger flashing in his eyes, "-getting her out now would be next to impossible."

"Teddy, Teddy look at me," Ginny said urgently, grasping his chin, getting up and climbing into his lap. "We'll figure it out, we'll find a way to get her back...and I will only let you go back, if you promise you will _always_ come back to me, and that when I'm needed you will let me fight."

Theo's nostrils flared in response, his pale blue eyes meeting her bright blue ones. "I don't want you fighting."

"I don't care, I don't want you to go back there, where you're vulnerable and I can't reach you. We rarely get what we want," Ginny shrugged nonchalantly, her palms flat against his cheeks. Theo's lips parted as if to say it was different, but she quirked an eyebrow and he sighed. She was right, but he wasn't going to let her know that.

"Fine...only if you are _absolutely_ needed," Theo reiterated, his hands wrapped around her waist and pulled her flush against him. "I need you, Red."

"I need you too, Teddy," Ginny breathed out, nuzzling her face into the side of his neck, her fingers stroking the sides of his face tenderly.

"This War is going to be hell," Theo said after a few moments, dread tying knots in his stomach.

"War is always hell as Mad Eye often says," Ginny leaned back to look into his eyes, "is there anyone you can trust on that side?"

"Draco and Blaise," He said instinctively, he didn't even need to think about it. Theo had been raised with them, they were his brothers; Draco may be a misguided prat, and Blaise a little too cavalier, but they were his best mates nonetheless.

" _Malfoy_? Really?" Ginny raised both of her eyebrows in disbelief-her calm demeanour didn't fool him, she was fuming. "He's the reason Dumbledore is dead."

Theo resisted the urge to bite something foul at his witch in defense of one of his best mates, instead he opted for, "he was scared, he didn't think he had any other options and he had no idea what else he could do. He felt trapped." _We're still trapped_ , Theo added to himself silently.

"I'm not going to argue with you over Draco- _freakin'_ -Malfoy, how about I just trust your judgement and hope you aren't wrong." Ginny said tightly, her forehead wrinkled slightly. Theo could tell it was the best he was going to get for now, so he simply nodded in understanding.

"Are you going to tell your parents that you plan on running away with a Death Eater?" Theo changed the subject, tone a bit frosty; that of course did not deter Ginny in the slightest, she only grasped his face firmer, forcing him to look her properly in the eye.

"You aren't one because you _want_ to be, Theo," Ginny shook her head stubbornly. Theo noted that she avoided answering his question but opted to ignore that little detail.

"Self-preservation and all that," He responded dryly, his eyes glancing at the wall clock. Time was running out, as it always seemed to be these days. His time was running out, slipping through his fingers, and soon he would have to respond to a madman on a full time basis. "It's almost time for the train to get here, you should go before anyone notices you're missing."

Ginny narrowed her eyes at him, "we aren't finished talking about this," she warned him as she climbed off his lap, bending down to give him one last chaste kiss; a long lock of hair escaping from her bun and swooshing and caressing his cheek as she did.

"That's all I get?" Theo growled, watching Ginny straighten up and tuck the hair behind her ear. He jumped up and tugged her back into him, his hands smoothly sliding across her upper back. Ginny's eyes twinkled with mischief.

Ginny grasped at his nape, pulling him down to her, slanting her head and pressing her lips to his-Ginny had told him once that he had soft lips and that besides his hair it was probably the only soft thing about him.

Ginny was trying to memorize how he felt, how his fingers pressed into her hips and back as he held her, how every now and then his cheek would graze hers and the stubble would rake lightly over her skin. Theo hungrily kissed his witch, breathing in her scent when they broke apart to get a breath of air, she spelled like the mint chocolates she hid in her pockets, her breath mingled with his and he tasted the peppermint on her lips.

"I'm going to miss you," Theo whispered, resting his forehead against hers, enraptured by all the finer, more intricate details that he could see in her irises.

"Teddy, I'm going to miss you more," Ginny nipped at his bottom lip teasingly.

 _Tick. Tock. Tick_. He could practically feel their last moments together ending, and he hated it. As soon as he let her go today he was heading into hell. A nice, large slice of hell pie was going to be served to him as soon as he got 'home'.

"We'll have to be careful, but I'll come for you when the time is right, so be ready at all times, okay?" Theo instructed softly, trying to drink this all in, to remember how she felt, so he had something to hold on to. A second later he felt her nod against his forehead. "Brilliant, now be a good girl, Red."

"When am I ever a good girl?" Ginny asked lightly, winking at him before she reluctantly removed herself from his embrace.

Her hands slid from his slowly, so slowly and he desperately wished that he didn't have to let her go, that he could stay with her in this dinghy, abandoned old classroom. Even just a moment later.

Ginny made sure to pick up her disregarded robes on her way out. When she reached the door, she glanced back over her shoulder at him, smiling gently before turning back around and pushing open the wooden door with a complaining squeak and groan from its hinges.

"Never, Red, Never," Theo smiled faintly to himself after she left. He looked around the small room once more before he sighed heavily. _Time to face the music,_ Theo thought dejectedly, picking his tie up off the chair and reluctantly heading towards the door.

* * *

 **Sunday, July 27th, 1997**

 **The Burrow**

 **Ginny Weasley's Room**

Ginny drummed her fingers against the surface of her wooden desk, she was staring absentmindedly out of the window in front of her desk. The summer so far had been spent feeling useless and as a result she was extremely frustrated. She _detested_ feeling useless. Whilst Molly forced her to clean the house, help with the cooking and contribute to the overall family effort, her older brothers were invited to Order meetings and had actually been doing things to further their cause. Arthur had even allowed Ron to attend one or two meetings. (Of course Molly had been livid when she found out since Arthur hadn't discussed it with her first, but there was one constant that she was determined not to budge on. Ginny was not to be involved.)

Tonight everyone was leaving to go and rescue Harry from his rotten muggle family, whilst simultaneously avoiding getting killed by Death Eaters. Ginny had foolishly opened her mouth and asked casually if she would be permitted to go at breakfast. Molly had screamed at the top of her lungs, face turning red and a vein showing in her forehead-she would not be allowing Ginny to go under any circumstances. Even though Ginny was highly irritated about the situation, she wasn't needed, which is why she didn't kick up a fuss. Ginny begrudgingly sucked it up, reminding herself that otherwise she would be breaking _their_ promise.

Feeling restless Ginny got up from her desk and decided she needed to do something before she went barmy; now she understood how Sirius had felt in her fourth year, being cooped up inside all day was bound to drive someone up a wall-even if she was in her room and he had been forced to live in the place he hated most in the world. Ginny wriggled her socked toes as she crossed the room, the familiar creaks and groans of the wooden floorboards under her feet vaguely reaching her ears. She needed some fresh air.

Ginny scratched her cheek as she put her hand on her brass doorknob, twisting it, pulling it inwards, and she started as she was greeted with a cheery, "Ginevra." Ginny relaxed when she saw that it was only Fred and George-they were crowding her doorway, leaning on either side of the door frame. The former was who had addressed her, and she frowned minutely when she saw the gleeful expressions on their faces; that was never a good sign.

"You look lovely today," George complimented.

Ginny's hair was tied back in a low ponytail and she was still in her pyjamas, a small blue shirt, and black drawstring pyjama bottoms. She looked down at her attire, and then narrowed her eyes at her brothers, placing her hands on her hips.

"What do you want?" She asked knowingly, pursing her lips.

" _Us_? Want something, can't we just pay our beautiful si-" Fred started, but stopped when he saw Ginny roll her eyes. "Jigs up, George, even if she is gorgeous-" He shot her a wink, "-she ain't buying it."

"Drat," George snapped his fingers, his brow furrowed together, running a hand through his previously neat, short tresses, causing them to fluff out and make him look a little crazy.

"Get on with it," Ginny sighed.

"Well we were just wondering if you were going to tell us who that unmarked letter was from last week?" Fred inquired, but she caught the twinkle in his eye. Ginny took a small step towards her brothers, "you mean the one you tried to open and then set on fire by _accident_?" Ginny glowered.

"We said we were sorry, Gin." George stuck his bottom lip out, making it quiver slightly.

"Gits, I know you read it. You lit it on fire and caused that huge commotion on purpose," Ginny rubbed at her temples, she loved her brothers, she did, but her patience was wearing extremely thin on a whole and she really wasn't in the mood for- _whatever_ this was. She was constantly on edge, unsure when Theo was coming for her whilst feeling utterly useless _all_ the time.

"You looking forward to the wedding, Gin?" Fred queried, changing the topic abruptly.

"As much as one can with the nightmare of a bride," Ginny snorted.

"There's our classy sister," George chuckled.

"Let's not dillydally, George."

"Mum told us that you have to go with Fleur to pick up the bridesmaid dresses tomorrow," George said eagerly, he looked like laughter was going to burst out of him at any moment when he saw the horrified look on Ginny's face.

"So not only will she not let me go on the mission, she's forcing me to spend more time than necessary with Fleur?" Ginny spat, it wasn't that she still thought Fleur was a cow, it's just her tolerance for the beautiful girl was at an all time low, with how anxious she was at all times. The last thing she cared about was if the flowers matched the rest of the colour palette for the wedding. She lowered her head and began to rub tiredly at her temples.

"Don't worry though, I'm sure Prince Charming, or Not-So-Charming will whisk you away on the night of the Wedding." Fred winked. Ginny's heart stopped for a brief second, and her head snapped sharply upwards in their direction, eyes wide.

"Pardon?"

"Just look for some bloke with a white mask, that's all I'm willing to divulge," George raised his hands in surrender, the two twins bolted when they saw the disdainful look on her face. Ginny contemplated what they had just said, trying to decipher what they meant. Trying to make sure she had understood them correctly. She was either going mad or they were had just informed her that Theo would be at the wedding. _The very notion is ludicrous, with all those Order members around, and security? Theo wouldn't risk coming for me then_ , Ginny thought to herself biting on her thumb. Shaking her head she decided to not think about it anymore, it would only give her a headache.

"I cannot wait for this stupid wedding to be over and done with," Ginny rubbed at the side of her face, stepping out of her room, and when she reached the landing she spotted Hermione and Ron awkwardly fumbling around one another. Poor Ron never even had a shot, he had confessed his feelings for Hermione when the girl had gotten here in mid July, and their curly haired friend had gently rejected him, saying that she only liked him as friends. Ginny knew the real reason for why Hermione had rejected Ron, but the older girl had told her in confidence and Ginny wasn't about to go and stir the pot and cause a world of trouble. Harry would get here tonight and ease the tension of Hermione's rejection, Ginny was sure of it. Harry always fixed things.

* * *

 **Friday, August 1st, 1997**

 **The Burrow**

 **Fleur and Bill's Wedding**

The ceremony had been lovely: the gold and white decorations, the balloons, the flowers; all of it was stunning. Fleur had looked positively radiant, affectionately stroking her husband's face as they became bonded for life, both of them beaming during their kiss.

Molly had gone through three handkerchiefs by the time the ceremony finished, Arthur looked on proudly with an arm wrapped around his wife, and some of the wix immediately started bombarding Charlie with questions of when _he_ would be walking down the aisle.

At the reception, she decided to isolate herself from everyone, even though it was a time for celebration she couldn't help but feel a touch sombre. The tent was decorated with paper thin, translucent gold streamers, bunches of white roses that had been dusted with a gold, shimmering substance were in bunches at each round, white table clothed table. Wix were milling about and pleasant conversation surrounded her. Ginny was at one of the entrances to the tent on her own, merely observing, one leg crossed in front of the other, hugging herself, hanging loosely from one of her hands-the golden coloured liquid threatening to spill at any moment-was a delicate Champagne shoot.

Ginny found herself staring at George's ear as he laughed in a circle of his friends, an arm around his twin's shoulders-they were on the far side of the tent but directly in her line of sight. She saw Luna and her Father dancing which brought a wisp of a smile to her face, Harry talking to some old bloke, and Ron was shooting Hermione longing looks from across the room where she was laughing merrily with Charlie.

Ginny unfolded her arms and took an absent sip from her Champagne shoot, looking around at all the joy and mirth around her and wondering when it would all come crashing down. She abhorred how as soon as she thought it...it did. Moments later chaos ensued.

 _"The ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming."_ Kingsley's Patronus burst through the tent flaps, and his voice boomed throughout the tent. For a brief, tense moment, nothing happened.

Then it all happened at once, people were running, apparating away, shoving each other aside, screaming, drawing their wands. Ginny dropped her glass, and faintly heard the tinkling sound as it broke.

 _What do I do? What do I do? Think Ginny. Think,_ Ginny practically screamed at herself, she spotted her Mother frantically searching for her and unsure of what she should do, she did the first thing that popped into her mind. She spun on her heel and bolted.

Ginny was running as fast as she could for the house, hearing her Mother screaming her name behind her. She didn't care, nothing mattered except getting _the_ bag. The bag she had packed in case something like this happened.

She threw open the front door, vaguely hearing the wood snap against the wall and the hinges protest, she sprinted through the house, up the stairs, turning sharply at the top and heading for her door, throwing it open. It took her a brief moment to find it, there it lay, neatly by her bed. She surged forward, feeling the familiar fabric against her palm and she closed her hand around it. Not pausing as she hurried out of her room, swinging it over her shoulder as she hurried down the stairs-her footsteps sounding far too loud for comfort, as if someone much larger were chasing her.

As quickly as she had gotten inside the house, she was out again. The crisp night air smacked her full in the face, and it occurred to her then that she hadn't even bothered to take off her heels as they sank into the earth with each step.

Everything seemed to be happening at top speed. She saw Harry, Ron and Hermione apparate away, her Mother was at the mouth of the tent now, eyes wide, beckoning for her to come-her neat hairdo was unfurling, wisps of hair framing her face-and Ginny saw Bill duelling a wizard with a hood covering his head and a mask on his face; Charlie was right by his side. Her eldest brothers fired hexes left and right, almost like they were dancing and toying with the man.

Ginny was halfway between the house and the tent, she needed to do something. Her heart was pounding, her palms were slick with sweat, her dress suddenly seemed too tight, as if it was suffocating her. Her wand felt hot against her outer left thigh, and she was about to reach down and retrieve it when something stopped her in her tracks.

It was him. _He_ was here. She smelt _him_. She would recognise that smell anywhere. Smoky wood and pine, it was him and he had come for her.

Ginny straightened up, seeing the horror across her Mother's face-Molly raised her wand and started to move forward, seeing one of her cubs in danger and rushing to her rescue.

"I LOVE YOU MUM!" Ginny screamed, gesturing wildly at her Mother to leave; Molly froze in her tracks, feet away from the tent. Panic was the last thing Ginny saw on her Mother's face before she felt his arm wrap around her waist from behind and he apparated them away.

* * *

"Mum probably thinks a Death Eater kidnapped me," Ginny said sadly as she stared out of the large window, nothing but darkness and the stars to greet her. She'd kicked off her heels as soon as they had arrived, they were somewhere by the door to the room right next to her abandoned rucksack. Her hair had come undone during all of the excitement earlier, and she was standing in front of the large window that looked out into the vast yard with her arms crossed.

She had no idea where they were, but she just, vaguely, could see thickly knitted together trees in the distance, and dead leaves littering the ground. Barely.

"Technica-"

"Do not give me that technically _bullshite_ , Theodore Nott." Ginny scolded him, brow puckered and she shook her head-the lock of hair that had been in her eyes moving to the side of her face.

"You regretting your decision?" Theo asked her quietly, his voice barely a whisper-so soft and so uncertain-as he came up behind her, tenderly wrapping his arms around her.

"No, just wish I could tell her I'm alright, and Dad, and my brothers," Ginny whispered, resting her head backwards on his chest.

"I'll figure something out," Theo promised.

They stood there for a precious, gentle moment. Ginny nibbled on her bottom lip before asking what she had been dying to ask for the last few minutes. "When do you have to go back?"Ginny asked softly, as if she was afraid of the answer, she supposed, maybe she was.

"Not until tomorrow evening," Theo answered with a troubled sigh, "Blaise said he'll come keep you company whilst I'm out."

"Oh joy, Zabini will make me feel right at home," she mumbled sarcastically.

"Blaise isn't that bad...once he's sober." Theo said carefully after a drawn out pause.

"You'll have to show me where the ward boundary is tomorrow, I want to know how big my cage is," Ginny joked lightly.

"It isn't a cage you know, you can go back to your family whenever you want." Theo said firmly, tightening his grip on her.

"I have a feeling I know where they'll be but..." Ginny's voice faded away, her eyes glazing over, vision blurring slightly as she stared out into the dimly lit forest.

"But?"

"Then I'll be leaving you all alone and I can't do that," Ginny finished honestly.

Neither of them said anything for a while, there was nothing to say; they swayed back and forth, staring at the almost full moon. For a moment they forgot, they forgot that they were both barely of age, that the War had officially started. They forgot that that their future rested on the shoulders of three teenagers just as scared and confused as they were. They were all running around blindly, and Ginny silently prayed that they would figure it out in the end.

* * *

"Arthur do not tell me to calm down!" Molly Weasley fumed, her youngest and only daughter was missing and she deserved the right to make a fuss if she wanted. The roar of the sea could be heard not too far away, but even its soothing song did nothing to ease her nerves.

Everyone but the twins looked beside themselves with worry, but she was too consumed by her thoughts to notice that small detail. Fleur was sitting on the loveseat, glumly staring down at her ruined wedding dress, Bill was beside her, his arms wrapped tightly around her. Charlie had gone down to the water, saying he needed some space. Percy hovered awkwardly in the doorway, unsure how to soothe his Mother as she threw a pan at a cupboard. The twins were in the living room whispering amongst themselves, and Arthur was of course trying to stop his wife from destroying the kitchen.

"Not to mention, Ronald, Hermione and Harry are nowhere to be found!" Molly shrieked.

"I'm sure Ron, Harry and Hermione are all fine, dear," Arthur gradually moving towards his huffing wife- she stared at him from behind some strands of hair that had shifted into her face with all her thrashing. "It's probably best anyways, they weren't going to be safe going back to Hogwarts anyway, you know that."

Molly collapsed into one of the kitchen chairs, the salty sea air blowing through the house. Bill and Fleur planned on moving into Shell Cottage as soon as the wedding was over, it was meant to be a safe house for Order members if needed; Bill had managed to side-along apparate them all here without splinching anyone, that in itself was a miracle.

"I know Arthur, it's just...Ginny too?" She wept silently, it had all happened so fast, her daughter had rushed into the house, and then she was running towards them...and she just stopped. The man shrouded in a cloak had appeared behind her, and Ginny smiled. Ginny knew whoever it was under that cloak, and whilst that was somewhat comforting, it did not ease her frayed nerves.

"Sweetheart..." Arthur waved his hands around futilely; he pulled another chair out, sitting down and grabbing her hands, his thumbs moving in comforting circles. "It's going to be ok, Molly. Just you wait." Arthur smiled weakly.

"I hope so, Arthur," Molly sniffed, gazing out the kitchen door at Charlie-sitting in the sand, the waves crashing down in front of him.

* * *

 **Friday, August 8th, 1997**

 **Nott Cottage**

"I'm bored!" Ginny whinged, upside down on the couch in the living room. Her feet were braced against the wall and she was wriggling her toes around on its' surface.

The soft light was shining in from the two wide windows on either side of the door on Ginny's left, and she could feel the blood rushing to her head, and she focused on the navy blue carpet that was big enough to span the couch, the low-to-the-ground birch coffee table, and the two armchairs on either end of the carpet. The couch and armchair cushions were white and the throw cushions were navy blue with geometric white patterns on them.

Ginny however was not focused on the pale blond haired boy that was also in the room-or at least she was trying to ignore him. "Entertain yourself," Draco drawled, he was staring at her from the armchair on her right-the one farthest from the door-adjacent to the couch. Draco's legs were crossed, his elbow was resting on the arm of his chair and his long, slender index finger was touching his temple.

"Blaise lets me go outside," Ginny frowned, hitting her feet against the wall and sighing heavily.

"Blaise isn't here," Draco pointed out, his tone indicated that he wanted to be anywhere else but here, babysitting a whingeing ginger girl.

"Are you going to tell me why Theo has been gone for three days?" Ginny asked, changing the top, and Draco narrowed his eyes at her question. Instead deciding to respond with a curt, "nope." Emphasizing the 'p' as he spoke.

"You really are unsociable did you know that?" Ginny snorted, swinging herself so that she was upright-her face bright red from all the blood that had rush to it, and she felt woozy for a few moments as she regained her centre of gravity.

"See, I don't know if you couldn't tell, but I _don't_ want to be here," Draco scoffed, his right hand gripping the armchair arm tightly-his knuckles turning white.

"Right, you'd rather be protecting Mother Dearest, or trying to find out if Hermione is safe," Ginny muttered, her fingers splayed on the couch cushions, burying her toes in the comfy carpet.

She blinked twice and he had moved like a panther, when she looked up Draco was right there. "What was that, Weaselette?" Draco snapped, looming over her, expression dark and there was a dangerous glint in his grey eyes.

Ginny wasn't going to show any weakness, or back down. "Oh _please,_ Malfoy. Still pretending that you hate her?" Ginny bit out defiantly, her face tipped up towards his, face twisted with stubbornness and determination. "She confided in me the day before the wedding."

Draco kept it up for a beat longer before she saw a flicker of something indiscernible in his eyes, and then he lowered himself onto the floor-his head in between his knees, hand on his head. Ginny faltered then, she hadn't been expecting that.

"I just-" Draco started, but his voice was slightly muffled and thick with emotion, "I just need to know she's okay."

Ginny had no idea what to say to that, anything she said would only sound cheap or insensitive. She hesitated for a moment, warring with herself before she reached out and started rubbing his back; Draco flinched harshly but didn't tell her to stop. After a few long, _long_ moments his muscles relaxed. "She is," Ginny said softly.

"How could you possibly know that?"

 _I don't_ , Ginny thought, _but if anyone is going to be okay, it's going to be Hermione._ "She'd Hermione," Ginny said with gusto, trying to remain positive. Draco barked out a harsh laugh, and his shoulders shook with silent laughter as he threw back his head.

It quickly faded and he stared at the ceiling wistfully. After a moment he said, "good point." Then something remarkable and strange happened. He smiled at her. It was a genuine smile, not a smirk or a condescending smile. It was the first one she'd ever received from him.

"I can see why she likes you. I had thought that Theo and her were nuts for even sparing you a second glance," Ginny admitted sheepishly. Neither them noticed that she was still touching his back, and unconsciously she had joined him on the floor-her back against the front of the couch.

"Ah. So I'm not completely hopeless then after all," Draco smiled wryly, angling his face in her direction.

"Blaise? Maybe. You? Never," Ginny joked lightly and Draco rolled his eyes, shaking his head gently. Blaise seemed to think everything was a joke.

"You said you were bored?" Draco raised an eyebrow, resting his chin on his knee; his question referencing back to their earlier discussion.

"Yes! Entertain me, Malfoy!" Ginny demanded with a faux serious expression, which melted into a bright smile when he shot her a droll look.

"Well. The wards extend about fifty feet into the air, and stretch about sixty feet in any direction from the house," Draco frowned, deep in thought. His face relaxed after a second where he seened to come to a conclusion, "we could grab a couple of brooms and fly about for a bit?" He suggested, shrugging.

"There are brooms here?" Ginny asked enthusiastically, her face lighting up-she hadn't been on a broom in months; she missed the feeling of the wind whipping against her skin as she flew, she missed the rush, how her chest felt like it would burst with happiness when she was flying. Most of all, she missed the freedom she felt.

"I'll take that as a yes," Draco half-laughed, half-snorted, "-remember not to cross the wards, or you won't be able to get back in," Draco warned her-his steely eyes grave.

"I won't," Ginny promised, nodding slowly.

* * *

Not even ten minutes later Ginny was lazily flying close to the ground-any closer and the tips of her shoes would be brushing the dirt and fallen leaves. Her face was lit up with a huge grin that hadn't left her face from the moment that she pushed off of the ground.

The air was frostier than it usually was at this time of year, but that could just be because of where they were. Wherever they were. A few things caught Ginny's eye then, the cobblestone walkway that started about ten feet away from the house looked freshly scrubbed, the flowers that surrounded the circumference of the house had been freshly pruned, the dark brown wooden shutters on the windows looked like they had been recently repainted, as did the cottage itself. Its' midnight blue

Ginny had stopped, facing the cottage with a perplexed expression on her face. Draco halted by her side, leaning back casually on his broom-it was evident that it was like an extension of him, that he had been flying from a young age. "Theo got Blaise's House Elf to come clean up the place before he brought you here," Draco explained, clearing his throat.

"Why Blaise's-"

"Because all of Theo's House Elves are deathly afraid of his Father, and would thus be obligated to tell him anything that Theo does out of the ordinary," Draco scowled, absently running a hand through his hair; pivoting his broom so that he was facing her head on.

"The more I hear about him, the more I grow to despise Theodus Nott," Ginny growled, an image of the scar on Theo's forearm flashing through her mind-he refused to talk about it. There were a lot of things Theo refrained from talking about when it involved his Father.

"He's a wretched man, _far_ worse than mine could ever be…" Draco trailed off, a faraway look in his eyes. "My Father may not be a nice man, he may be misguided...but at least I know he loves me and my Mother. I don't think Theodus loves anything," Draco said.

Draco shook his head violently then, grimacing as he said, "you go enjoy yourself. I'll be back. I need to get Mipsy to do something for me."

"Mipsy? One of your family House Elves? Is that wise?" Ginny asked, how did Draco know if Mipsy could be trusted, that she wouldn't go back to Lucius and tell him all about how his son was spending time with a blood traitor.

"Mipsy is my House Elf. Loyal to none other than me, not even my Father," Draco replied curtly. Something seemed to gnawing away at him, distracting him. Ginny got the sense that his mind was elsewhere, having wandered off to somewhere far away. In a swift motion he swung himself off of his broom, propping the length of the handle on his shoulder and he started back towards the house. The crunch of the fallen leaves under his feet accompanying him until he reached the door.

Ginny watched him until he disappeared inside, left alone with only nature and her thoughts to keep her company.

What Ginny didn't know was that Draco had a nagging feeling that scratched away at his brain, he had suspicions that he hoped to be proved false. Whilst he conducted his business, Ginny decided that she should find the ward boundary in order to know exactly how far out it was.

Ginny easily hopped off her broom and began to carefully move forward. After fifteen minutes of walking she had yet to come across it, but she felt like she was getting close, so she started being more vigilant; peering closely at the dirt and dead leaves.

Until finally she saw it, a few feet in front of her. There was a thin line on the ground that shimmered lightly where the wards touched the ground. Ginny stared out into the forest, and picked her brain trying to remember what she had learnt about the Fidelius charm-pondering on it, she decided to sit down.

* * *

Draco left his broom inside the house, tapping the tip of his shoe on the doorstep after he went back outside. He fully expected Ginny to be hovering closeby, but he didn't see her-not immediately at least.

" _Shit_ -" Draco cursed under his breath, eyes searching frantically for her, "-where did she go?" Draco spotted her in distance, right by the wards.

Seeing how close she was, standing there just on the edge, he took off. _Why did you have to go and fall for the reckless one, Theo?_ Draco thought, sprinting towards her.

As he got closer, he slowed down to a jog since he was now able to see her better, and saw that she was sat on the ground. He stopped beside her, panting heavily, hands on her hips.

Ginny was sitting cross-legged on the ground, her broom laying across her lap, and she was staring out past the wards; admiring the dense foliage and close knit trees.

"It's quiet out here," Ginny murmured, as if she was afraid to disturb the tranquility of the forest.

"Besides us there isn't anything for miles...except for some animals perhaps," Draco replied sardonically, bending down and sitting on the ground next to her.

"You can almost forget…" Ginny murmured, voice being whisked away with the wind.

Draco didn't say anything, glancing at her out of the corner of her eye and found himself silently agreeing.

Sitting out here one could almost forget. Forget all the horrors that they were going through, things that no man should have to witness, let alone be a part of.

It was serene and forgiving, this small place that was beginning to feel a lot like home. To Draco, this was probably the only safe place he had left. He felt safer here than he had in a long, long time.

* * *

 **Hello there! (This is future me on _October 16th, 2016_ ) I'm currently in the process of rewriting and finishing up this fic. So I'll soon start posting the newly edited versions. So far this is the only chapter that I've rewritten and posted. I'll make an announcement on my tumblr at some point (indiebluecrown. tumblr. com) when I post the rewritten chapters. Just thought I'd let everyone know ;)**

 **Indieblue xxx**

 **P.S. I hope you enjoy my rare pair baby, when I started this fic I had no idea it would get this long or that it would grow into what it did.**


	2. Nott Senior

Things are starting to get a bit more interesting, at least I hope so. There's also a splash of Dramione in this chapter, cause I just can't resist. I'd love to hear your opinion on Blaise because I'm having so much fun writing him. Even if J.K. wrote that Crabbe and Goyle were Draco's best friends for some reason I never felt like they were anything more than shallow friends. So I always love fics where Draco, Theo and Blaise are friends. Anyways I hope you enjoy it. **Disclaimer** : **J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, only the storyline is mine.**

* * *

Four days later

Theo held onto his limp arm for dear life, it was hanging out of its socket, he made a promise to Red and he intended to keep it. Letting go for a moment to take out his wand, he almost screamed in agony at the pain that shot through his body.

He managed to cast a Patronus, thinking about the last time he had seen her face, she was baking cupcakes of all things, grinning broadly, flour covering her face. He sent it to the place Sirius had told him to, and then continued running through the woods, his vision was blurring. It slowly faded to black and the last thing he saw was Draco's distressed expression, his mouth moving but he couldn't make out the words.

...

"Little Red he's fine, I patched him up myself," Blaise assured the frantic Ginny, she had fallen asleep and when she woke up, Theo was on the couch, his blood staining the tan upholstery.

"Are you sure about that?" Ginny bit her lip, kneeling down beside the couch, Draco insisted they not move him until he woke up.

A dog Patronus sprinted in through the open door, pausing by her side and then she was surprised to hear Sirius' voice coming out of it."We got the intel, will contact you in two days, be careful."

"The fuck is Theo doing talking to the Order," Blaise gasped his eyes wide.

"Aren't you talking to the order too?" Ginny snapped, grasping Theo's cold hand in hers.

"I didn't know he was though," Blaise frowned, "my Mother doesn't give a shit about me, Theo's father on the other hand...he's a maniac, completely deranged."

"Even my Dad stays away from him," Draco said quietly, leaning against the armchair, eyes glued to Theo's rising and falling chest.

"What happened," Ginny whispered.

"I was there, Theo's father tried to kill him on that mission," Blaise snarled vehemently.

"Why?"

"Theo talked back to him," Blaise gritted through his teeth, "the mission was the kill the parents of muggleborns that were at Hogwarts. Theo refused to kill defenceless muggles, his Father tried to kill him. Not with a wand of course, said Theo wasn't good enough for a wand."

"I am going to kill him," Ginny promised darkly, her blue eyes flashing protectively, staring at the large bruise that ran along Theo's right side.

"Aww I wanted to be the one that offed the arse," Blaise pouted.

"I call dibs," Ginny said quickly, before anyone else could claim her prize.

"Dammit, she called dibs," Blaise scowled, kicking his feet up on the coffee table, having claimed the other armchair.

"Did you have no upbringing? That's an antique," Draco was looking at Blaise's feet in horror.

"Mum was always too interested in dating to raise me right, Drake," Blaise smirked, wiggling his eyebrows; knowing how much Draco hated the nickname.

"Is that why you're so insufferable as Hermione would say?" Ginny quirked an eyebrow, shifting her position; her legs were starting to go numb, pins and needles shooting up her body as she moved.

"You know you love me, Little Red," Blaise winked, his dark eyes twinkling.

"He should be waking up...why isn't he waking up?" Ginny murmured softly, brushing Theo's hair off of his forehead.

"Not entirely sure, but we have to figure out a cover story if we don't want 'his Highness' to label Theo as a wanted person." Draco said quietly.

"Well Theodus killed the other guy that was on a mission with us, he sneered at me and then left." Blaise scratched his head, normally his hair was neat and tidy, but months without cutting it had resulted in dark, long, bouncing curls.

"Is it bad that despite everything that's going on, I just want to hide him away and keep him safe." Ginny laughed harshly.

"I want to get my Mother and Father out of that wretched house," Draco admitted.

"I want a good shag," Blaise shrugged, and then raised his hands on surrender when the other two glared at him.

"Real deep, Zabini," Ginny rolled her eyes.

"I don't have any real family besides the people in this room, and right now you're all ok, or are going to be ok." Blaise said seriously, "and that's good enough for now."

"Am I a part of that family?" Ginny asked astounded.

"Course, Red. You're a part of Theo's family, so you're a part of mine."

"I guess you're kind of family to me too, Weaselette," Draco scratched his cheek, avoiding her gaze.

"Awwww, Drakie I knew you cared," Ginny giggled, sounding frighteningly like Pansy Parkinson, Draco shuddered at the thought.

"Now let's just hope Theo wakes up," Draco said gravely, Blaise and Ginny nodded grimly, hope seemed to be the only thing keeping any of them going these days.

...

Theodus Nott was a simple man, or at least he liked to think so. Muggles were lower than filth, and Mudbloods were filthy blooded creatures that needed to be erased off the face of the planet. See, simple. So when his own flesh and blood stood in front of him, defying him, refusing to kill the flithy things that had given birth to the Mudbloods; he had lost it. He wasn't going to let some little runt ruin his good name, what had he done to deserve this? Not one, but two disappointing children.

Theodus was going to have to explain to the Dark Lord that the mission had gone successfully but things had gone slightly haywire. He would say that the baby faced Death Eater that had accompanied them and the Zabini boy had lost control. That he had attacked his son, and then he had killed him for attempting to harm his son. If the bastard lived then he wouldn't be shamed when he decided to show his face. Simple. Theodore could return, he would punish him for his insolence, and the Dark Lord would be appeased.

He should have know his son was a bad apple, spending time with the spineless Malfoy brat, and the idiot Zabini. Lucius' son was a disgrace, needing Snape to finish the job for him; pathetic. Zabini was a half-wit with the ambition of a goldfish.

He had more important things to deal with, the Dark Lord was trying to find the Weasleys and the other blood traitors, and he was going to volunteer to personally lead the charge.

Theodus entered the dining room of Malfoy Manor, the large curtains were drawn, candles lit up the otherwise dim room, the dark cherry wood floors were stained with some dark liquid. Voldemort had just personally tortured a spy, they had obliviated themselves before he could search their mind, regretfully. The man in question was sitting at the Head of the Table, staring at his wand.

"Theodus, where is your son? Finch? The Zabini Boy?" The Dark Lord asked calmly, his red eyes still locked on his wand.

"Finch is dead m'lord. Zabini was injured so I dropped him off at his home, and my son was attacked by Finch. It seems his bloodlust was not quenched when we were finished with the muggles, he badly injured my son, I do not know if he survived." Theodus tried to keep his voice as steady as possible to avoid any suspicion.

"What do you mean you do not know if he survived," The blood red eyes turned to regard him slowly.

"He apparated away, even though he was in no condition to do so, he may have splinched himself." Theodus said carefully.

"So you're telling me...your injured son, managed to apparate away with life threatening injuries. If Finch was dead why would he try and escape?" The slits narrowed, Theodus gripped his wand in his robes' pocket.

"Yes, and I do not know m'lord."

Voldemort sighed, and then closed his eyes, a minute or so later, Blaise waltzed into the room, an impassive look on his face.

"Mister Zabini looks fine to me," Voldemort noted, Blaise flinched involuntarily. "My boy, you have nothing to fear, you merely need to tell me the truth about the events that occurred on your...outing."

"My wounds were superficial, my Lord. Theo got the brunt of Finch's rage, I'm glad he managed to apparate away in the middle of it all. Nott Senior was enraged, and as a result of him defending his son, Finch is no longer with us." Blaise said grimly, his face blank.

"It seems for the most part that your story adds up...Theodus, I suggest you do not allow anything of this...nature to happen again." Voldemort said quietly, the silent threat laced into his words.

"Yes, My Lord. Please allow me to redeem myself," Theodus bowed deeply, his gaze lowered to the floor.

"Do you have any ideas, Theodus?" Voldemort rested his hands on the table, his long, spindly fingers tapping against the surface impatiently.

"I would like to personally lead the search for the blood traitors that are in hiding," Theo straightened out, a grin on his face.

"Granted, now get out, both of you." Voldemort waved his hand, returning to stare at the wand now lying on the table.

"It is an honour as always, my Lord." Theodus bowed once more, Blaise following suit before they both quickly exited the room. Theodus was eager to get started, Blaise had to warn the others.

...

Hermione stared at the crumbled piece of parchment clasped in between her hands. With glazed eyes, and a grim expression she threw it into the fire.

She closed her eyes, she could hear Ron and Harry exit the tent, arguing about one thing or the other. They were both beginning to grate on her nerves but the last couple days had been rough so she would give them some leeway.

Hermione missed him, she missed his fingers in her hair, as he whispered things in her ear. Sometimes he would read to her, and lull her to sleep with his enchanting voice. Hermione missed his laugh, it had taken a long time to draw it out of him, but it was worth it; to her it was one of the best sounds in the world. Picturing his smile, his laugh, his happy grey eyes, it was what kept her going most days. Occasionally she would remember how stressed, and tired he was towards the end, always on edge. His eyes began to sink into their sockets, he had lost weight, he barely slept; yet he always found a way to smile.

He didn't deserve all of this, none of them did. They were still children, the adults seemed to be even more clueless than they were, the deaths and disappearances were growing.

Hermione tried to remember the last time she had seen him entirely carefree, and a grin broke out onto her face as she lost her self reminiscing.

...

"Granger, why are you staring at me?" Draco frowned, poking her nose gently.

"Cause I can, Malfoy." Hermione answered frivolously, her cheek resting against her palm.

They were in the Room of Requirement and it had provided them with a quaint room, one with a comfy couch, and a fireplace. It was November of their Sixth Year, and even though Draco was normally worried about the task he was expected to accomplish, tonight he was wholly relaxed.

"You're in a good mood," Draco noted, reaching out to intertwine their fingers.

Hermione shifted so her head was laying on his shoulder, Draco glanced down at her and saw the blush that was growing on her face.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Hermione smiled dreamily, "I'm finally able to see my boyfriend for the first time in two weeks,"

"Which means we haven't done anything in two weeks," Draco grumbled.

"Oh poor, Drakie poo, was it hard dodging all of Pansy's advances?" Hermione said in a baby voice, imitating Pansy.

"No, but it was hard not walking across the Hall and snogging you senseless," Draco shot back. Pansy had stopped bothering him a few days ago when he snapped unexpectedly at her.

"I think I can remedy that, and as you so eloquently put, 'snog you senseless'," Hermione smirked, leaning up to press her lips against his.

"Mione," Draco whispered against her lips.

"Mmmm," Hermione hummed back, his hands had moved to lift her into his lap, and her arms wrapped around his neck, her knees pressed into the back of the couch on either side of him.

"I love you, don't forget that," Draco said seriously; he had never spoken those words aloud to her, she leaned back, eyes wide and reeling from the confession.

"Really?" She said hoarsely, his hands were shaking when he wrapped them around her waist.

"Really," He was about to avert his gaze, when her hands quickly grabbed his face, preventing him from running away.

"I love you too," Hermione sniffed, fat tears threatening to fall.

"Oh thank-" He didn't get to finish because her lips were covering his, her fingernails lightly caressing his cheeks.

...

"Earth to Hermione," Ron shouted for the fifth time, Hermione jolted out of her memory, almost falling off of the log she had found solace on.

"What, Ronald?" She asked dryly, he ruined it, she would say like most other things, but that would be unfair. She was just upset that she wasn't still there with him.

"I'm hungry," He whinged, rubbing his tummy. Hermione breathed in and out. She was not going to murder one of her best friends because he couldn't cook his own food.

"Fine, I'm coming, just give me a minute." Hermione grasped the coin in her pocket, and charmed it to send a message, hoping that he hadn't lost it. A few minutes later she felt it heat up, she retrieved it from her pocket, stirring the soup in the pot in her other hand.

 _I love you too._ With those simple words a weight was lifted off of her chest, he was ok, she was elated; so happy she didn't hex Ron when he complained that she was taking too long.

...

Ginny had discovered a few secrets about the cottage, a major one was that there was an attic. Draco had transfigured a few items into a pair of twin beds for him and Blaise, since they had previously been taking turns sleeping on the couch downstairs. Another thing was that there was a window in the ceiling of the attic, which she escaped onto the roof frequently.

It was almost a month after Draco had jovially danced around the living room after Hermione had contacted him. Of course all of his joy dissipated instantly on September second; when news had spread about the trio breaking into the Ministry and the havoc they caused on their way out. Theo had woken up, and soon as he was able to walk, he and Blaise went to report to Voldemort. Neither shared what they had told him, it was all elusive glances, and clamping shut of mouths when she entered the room. Ginny had not seen much of any of the boys in the past three weeks; when they came back they were exhausted and crashed instantly.

Ginny was left to worry by herself, she was going insane. Blaise told her that Theodus Nott, the deranged man was personally going after her family. She had wanted nothing more than to leave, but Theo hadn't woken up yet. So Ginny had stayed, and when he woke up she stayed by his side until he was better a week later. Now she hardly saw anyone, left alone with her own thoughts.

"I need to do something," Ginny groaned, falling back against the shingles, welcoming the pain that accompanied it. She needed something to make her feel again, she was going numb. Now she knew why people went insane in Azkaban; and she didn't even have Dementors looming over her sucking the happiness out of her. That was it.

"I'm not breaking my promise," Ginny muttered, sitting up, sliding down to the edge of the roof. She stood precariously on the edge, and Theo chose that moment to apparate into the yard.

"Ginny! WHAT THE FUCK, no! Sweetie, don't move! Fuck!" Profanities spilled out of his mouth, Theo was panicking, his mind racing a mile a minute, and Ginny...looked serene even.

Ginny bent down, and grabbed the broom on the roof, swinging her leg over it and pushing off of the room, spiralling into the sky.

Theo's legs gave out, he had just come from a meeting with the most daunting man he had ever met; yet just the thought of Ginny throwing herself off of the room terrified him infinitely more. "She is going to be the death of me,"

Ten minutes later, Ginny steadily flew back to the ground, her hair wildly tousled from the wind. She touched down next to him, and moved to crouch in front of him.

"Theo..."

"Ginny," Theo rasped out, reaching out to pull her into him, causing her to lose her balance.

"I'm ok, love." Ginny murmured into his neck, planting a soft kiss there, her arms wrapping around his waist and she lay against him.

"You scared the shit out of me,"

"I'm sorry,"

"Please don't do that again,"

"I won't...but Theo, I need to get out of here," Ginny turned her face to look at him, his eyes were closed in resignation.

"I know," Theo sighed.

"It'll be just like you, Draco and Blaise. I'll come back every few days." Ginny promised.

"You won't be safe,"

"And you are?" Ginny challenged.

"No," Theo responded, one of his hands running through her hair, untangling some of the knots.

"I'll find Mum and Dad, my other siblings, I'll help them out, and I'll come back here, I promise." Ginny swore.

"You promised you wouldn't leave,"

"That was before-"

"Before my Father decided to hunt your family?" Theo gritted out, his temper flaring up, he thought you could only detest someone so much, but his distaste for his Father grew every day.

"This promise I'm keeping no matter what." Ginny squeezed him tighter, feeling the muscles in his body move when he tried to stand up with her still in his arms. Somehow he accomplished the feat, and he had swung her into his arms.

"Where are we going?" Ginny's heartbeat picked up, her heart strumming in her chest.

"Our room," Theo looked at her out of the corner of his eye, his mouth twitched upwards ever so slightly.

"Where I'll have my way with you?" Ginny wriggled her eyebrows.

"We'll see about that," Theo laughed heartily.

...

"Personally I think we should capture the git,"

"He is quite unfriendly isn't he, Georgie?"

"Agreed, Fred. Can't even go for a walk anymore," George tutted, shaking his head sadly.

"What're they on about?" Charlie whispered to Bill.

"Theodus Nott, they went to go get supplies the other day and he was following them the entire time, nasty bugger." Bill scowled, glancing at his wife. Fleur was flitting about the kitchen preparing dinner; she had kicked Molly out. Something the older witch would not forget anytime soon.

"Teach him some manners," Fred finished, noticing that his older brothers were staring at them. "Didn't Mum teach you staring is rude?"

"She figure it all out with us Freddie, she didn't quite have it figured out until after Percy." George stated, nodding his head.

"Even though they were prefects and all," Fred pointed out.

"Irrelevant, I mean Ronniekins was a prefect,"

"You make a fantastic point right there,"

"Al-"

"Are the both of you quite finished?" Bill rolled his eyes, a smile on his face.

"We need to have a meeting!" Sirius announced as he strolled into the kitchen, a sombre expression on his face. His black hair had grown longer than the last time they had seen him. Sirius nodded at all of them before disappearing around the corner again; they all followed suit, and were surprised to see essentially the entire order here.

"What is all this about, eh, Padfoot?" Fred said as he sat down on one of the couches in the living room.

"I got information from the younger Nott as you all know," He paused, the grunts and murmurs that followed indicated that everyone remembered. "Zabini and Malfoy just sent in their reports as well."

"Do the Death Eaters know anything about Harry, Hermione and Ron?" Charlie piped up.

"As much as we do, which is practically nothing," Sirius said his jaw clenched.

"When Zabini told us almost a month ago that Theodus Nott was following us, he didn't have all of the information," Remus sighed.

"Greyback lent him a couple of his werewolves," Sirius finished tightly, a large grimace on his face.

"Are you serious?" Bill growled, Fleur reached out and grasped his hand in hers.

"Malfoy sent word that whilst he can't contact Hermione properly, he does know that her, Harry and Ron are safe, or as safe as you can get on the run." Remus informed the others.

"You-Know-Who seems to be searching for something," Arthur spoke up finally.

"Miserable creature...can't even say his stupid name anymore," Sirius grumbled under his breath.

"Unfortunately we have no idea what it is," Remus rubbed at his temples, getting up from his hair and moving to one of the windows.

"Any word on Ginny?" Molly asked eagerly.

"Malfoy said that he would be accompanying her to the meet up point in a couple days." Sirius said slowly.

"Why didn't you start with that?" Molly said crossly, boxing him on the ears, Sirius recoiled harshly.

"For fuck's sake woman," Molly hit him again.

"Language , Sirius Black,"

"I'm a grown man," Sirius mumbled, rubbing his ears.

"I'm a grown woman, what's your point?" Molly raised an eyebrow, hands on her hips. Molly had her apron on, even though Fleur had kicked her out of the kitchen, she wanted to be prepared in case the girl set the house on fire.

"I'm going down to the beach," Sirius sighed, striding out of the room.

"Ginny is coming here, that's great news," Charlie said enthusiastically, clapping his hands together.

"She's been with Malfoy this entire time?" Bill asked sceptically.

"Draco merely said she was safe, and she was coming to see us whenever we thought was a good time." Remus responded, rubbing the back of his neck.

"That sounds an awful lot like she doesn't plan on staying," Molly fumed, wringing her hands together.

"Perhaps she doesn't," Remus said softly, trying to soothe the redheaded witch.

"Can we discuss a couple things though? The Ministry made it mandatory to attend Hogwarts, several of the Death Eaters children take large absences from school. Snape is Headmaster, people are disappearing and showing up dead-"

"Can you get to it, Bill?" George butted in.

"And I'm the one who needs remember his manners." Bill smiled wryly, "If Draco says she's safe then is it not better to stay where she is, rather than being in constant danger?"

"I suppose you're right," Molly conceded.

"We just have to trust in Ginny," Charlie added, "she's a bright girl."

"All I want to know is why she would run off with Malfoy?" Tonks frowned.

George and Fred saw their cue to leave; they technically had known where Ginny was this entire time, and they did not want to be within arm's reach of their Mother when she lost it.

"Where are you two going?" Percy who had been silent until this point, chose that moment to speak.

"Beach-"

"Bedroom-" They said simultaneously, they both looked at each other, and then saw the suspicious glint in Molly's eyes.

"We best be-"

"On our way-"

"Things to do-"

"People to avoid!" Fred finished as Molly lunged at them. Both twins sprinted out of the room, ducking out the front door onto the beach.

"We should-"

"have just stayed put!" George agreed with his twin, they were running down the sand towards the sea. They hadn't had a chance to formulate a plan, they just needed to run faster than her, and find a place to hide until her anger simmered.

Sirius Black was standing ankle deep in the frigid ocean, the waves softly lapping at his feet. It was peaceful out here, quiet, no drama. Then he heard the screaming; Sirius looked to his right and George and Fred Weasley were running top speed across the beach, Molly Weasley hot on their heels. Their Mother looked furious, she had grabbed a stick at some point and threw it at her sons; it missed but by a hair's breadth.

They bolted past him, kicking up sand as they went. What on Earth had the twins done to warrant that kind of reaction out of the Matron Weasley he would love to know. Sirius decided to head back into the cottage to find out.

...

A few hours later the twins had returned and Molly was waiting in the kitchen, her foot tapping against the wooden floor, hands on her hips, and a freshly made batch of Blueberry muffins on the counter.

"Are tho-" Fred started.

"Stress baking, don't make it worse, Freddie," George hissed.

"Are you meaning to tell me that my two of my children knew where their little sister, their _baby_ sister, was this _entire_ time!" Molly screeched.

"Not exactly-"

"We knew _who_ she was with, not _where,_ "

Molly gripped the wooden spoon in her hand and waved it at them, "You let your poor Mother worry for over a month, how did you even know? Did she tell you?" Molly looked a little hurt at the thought, that Ginny had chosen not to tell her.

"We read her mail," Fred admitted.

"YOU DID WHAT?" Molly screamed, Fred and George stepped back, ready to bolt at any moment.

"Molly, not so loud, everyone is trying to sleep," Arthur grumbled as he entered the kitchen.

"Speaking of sleep-"

"We're positively exhausted, Mum,"

"Downright knackered,"

"So we'll just-"

"Excuse ourselves."

The twins swiftly exited the room before Molly could say anything, Arthur silently wrapped her in his arms, whispering how it was all going to be alright.

* * *

 **I'm thinking about updating Promise twice a week, and this one once a week. If it gets to be too much I'll probably go back to once a week, but I'm not sure. Please, please let me know what you think and tell me if you liked it :")**

 **-Indieblue xx**


	3. I'm leaving

Ok so I noticed a couple things that don't match up with the **timeline,** Harry, Ron and Hermione would probably still be at Grimmauld Place as opposed to in a tent on the run as of yet...but y'know what, my story is mainly DH complaint...ish. So from now on I'm going to try and not necessarily keep to the book but still have a lot of similarities in terms on their story. Ginny's story on the other hand is going to be completely different...weeeellll, you'll see ;). Draco will be a big part of the next chapter, just a heads up. I can't really think of anything else I wanted to mention. I started a time travel fic ( **Fall Through Time** ), and I updated **Promise** early so go me!

* * *

"Complaining that Theo couldn't be the one to drop you off isn't going to change anything, Red." Draco snapped. Ginny had been whining for the entire trek to where they were meant to meet Sirius and Draco was just about fed up with it.

"You think I don't know that? I haven't seen him since yesterday morning though, and I have no idea if he's ok," Ginny bit back, she tried to think of something else to talk about, ease the tension between her and Draco. "Question, how does Sirius know when to respond to you?"

"We include a word at the end of our intel, to let him know that firstly, it's really us, and secondly that it's safe to reply." Draco answered, grabbing her hand to help her over the rift in the ground.

"Are we soon there? We've been walking for at least an hour." Ginny frowned, suddenly on edge as she watched the blonde's back as he walked in front of her. She trusted Theo with her life, and she trusted Blaise for the most part, and Hermione trusted Draco...and she trusted him...except he had been anxious and cryptic all morning.

"Yes," Draco nodded, shoving his hand into his robes, Ginny's alarm grew, _what if he stuns me and hands me in...only, why wait until now?_ Draco was really searching for his coin, it wasn't with his wand when he woke up this morning; he suspected Blaise had taken it. Blaise had left earlier than he had and he feared what would happen of the coin fell into the wrong hands.

"Are you ok?" Ginny asked warily, ready to draw her own wand at a moment's notice.

"It's fine...everything is fine," Draco said dismissively, the smile not quite reaching his eyes.

Ginny narrowed her eyes dubiously, Draco's fidgeting didn't not mollify her nerves in the least, and she was not comforted by his anxious smile. His entire body was tense, his posture rigid, his knuckles white, the hair at the nape of his neck was slick with sweat.

"It's just up here," Draco pointed to the small clearing in front of them, Ginny stepped over a large tree root, and walked cautiously a few steps behind him-prepared to run at any time.

Some of her worries dissipated when she saw the large, shaggy dog trotting towards them, his tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth, his black coat glistening in the scarce sunlight that was peaking through the tree canopies.

"Sirius!" Ginny exclaimed happily, unwittingly grabbing the left sleeve of Draco's robes.

Ginny's grin grew wider when the animagi shifted, gratefully grabbing the cloak Draco offered his way, immediately wrapping it around his body. Ginny flung herself into his arms, Draco shifted uncomfortably at the side. Sirius chuckled softly before returning the hug.

"You've caused quite the uproar, Red." Sirius smirked, his voice muffled slightly by Ginny's hair.

"Not you too, it's hard enough getting these idiots to call me Ginny instead of 'Red', or 'Little Red'." Ginny rolled her eyes, Draco's smile was strained. Ginny was satisfied that he wasn't giving her up to the enemy, but she'd be damned if she left without knowing what was wrong with him.

"Dray?" Draco flinched when she let go of Sirius and stepped towards him, her hand reaching out the grab his upper arm. "What's wrong,"

Draco breathed in a harsh, shuddering breath, his eyes clamped shut, he breathed out calmly, and then when he finally looked at her, fear, fear was all she saw in his grey eyes. "T-The coin..."

"What about it?" Ginny's eyes widened.

"I don't know where it is," Draco said quietly, panic filling his eyes, the only indication that he was panicking inside; his expression stoic as stone.

"That is _not_ good." Ginny hissed, feeling panic bubbling up inside of her, her stomach twisted into knots, her windpipe felt constricted. If that coin fell into the wrong hands, and they figured out who was on the other side...Ginny trembled at the thought, her blood running cold. "You need to find it,"

"I think Blaise picked it up thinking it was a normal galleon, he mentioned going to the market later," Draco started pacing.

"You have to find him, now!" Ginny commanded, "Hermione and the others lives depend on it, Draco. All of ours do,"

"I know!" Draco snarled suddenly, remorse immediately replaced his anger, he cowed his head, avoiding looking at her, before Ginny could say anything, he starting speaking in a silent, steady manner. "I'll be back in a week, like I promised...Theo should be done his mission by then...I may...he might pick you up." Draco's eyes met hers, a look of finality on his face like it was the last time he was going to see her.

"Dra-"

"Goodbye, Little Red," Draco smiled gaily, turning on his heel and apparating out of the clearing. He was gone, and he had taken a piece of her with him, Blaise was right-they were a family. She had spent countless moments with the three boys, stealing kisses with Theo when the other two pretended not to see, flying outside with Draco, joking and laughing with Blaise. It was nothing short of amazing that they had found a small piece of happiness when it was such a rare commodity these days.

Ginny's silently shed tears streamed down her face, if Sirius was surprised, he didn't comment. He merely gathered her in his arms, his warm cinnamon smell filling her nostrils, he tightened his grip around her shoulders and apparated them away. Ginny's eyes didn't move from the spot Draco had just occupied, it flashed away as the familiar uncomfortable pull washed over her.

...

"Nott," The gruff, gravelly voice that had filled Theo's nightmares as of late addressed him, Theo carefully looked to his right. Macnair was the leader of the group that Theo had been assigned to and dread filled him every time they left the Manor.

"Sir," Theo deadpanned, surviving this War was growing increasingly difficult every day; he hadn't killed anyone...yet. Being Macnair's underling was a blessing and a curse. Macnair loved killing, revelled in it, but today he decided he wanted his 'pups' as he had almost affectionately called them- to participate.

"Repeat the mission objective to me, pup." Macnair glanced out of the dusty window, his wand firmly grasped in his hand, the others scattered around the room, sitting on decrepit furniture, or the rotting wooden floor.

"Clear this muggle town of all of the Mudblood parents or relatives," Theo said blankly, the very idea made him sick, but he knew that to survive he was going to need to do this.

"Good...I'll give you the first family we come across, all to yourself, how do you like that boy?" Macnair sneered, grinning wickedly, several gaps where teeth should have been stood out amongst the few that he had left.

Theo suspected that the Dark Lord knew the truth behind the lie his Father had told, and this, all of this had been orchestrated as a test, Theo shook off his suspicions. He was nowhere near important enough to Voldemort for him to go such lengths to expose him.

"Very much, Sir," Theo answered, a malicious smile spread across his face, if he was going to do this, he at least needed to be convincing.

"When night falls we'll begin, remember to throw up silencing charms, we don't want anyone unwarranted to cross our paths." Macnair spat distatefully, the Dark Lord had ordered him not to harm the muggles in the village just as yet.

Theo's nails dug into his hand in attempt to distract himself. It worked briefly, in the time it took for the sun to set. When night had fallen all hope that he would manage to get out of this had disappeared with the sun. _I can't...I can't...killing people? I can't..._

"Time to move," Macnair grinned toothily, he exited the room first, beckoning for them to follow. "Now, quietly fan out. Throw up silencing charms, don't want to alert others that something is amiss."

Theo swallowed hard. _This is my chance, maybe I can confund one of them to think I killed someone...I just wish I could stop it all together. Draco is going to be so pissed...if it was Hermione's parents in one of those houses..._

Once more Macnair killed the sliver of hope that had bloomed inside of Theo. "Nott, you're with me,"

"Yessir," _This is beyond horrible. This is the worst thing that could have happened. There is literally no way out of this one._

Macnair ducked right and followed the cobblestone street path, Theo reluctantly withdrew his wand. _Macnair likes to play with his prey...the least I can do is end it quickly before they suffer at his hands. Shit, all these people did was love each other and give birth to Muggleborns...they don't deserve this. No one deserves this._

Macnair grinned wickedly when he found what he was looking for, he waved his wand and silencing charms covered the small, white house. Theo could see the Muggle couple inside through one of the windows, dancing, of all things. They were spinning, twirling, laughing and pure love and joy exuded from them. _Ginny._ Theo felt his heart clench when he pictured him and her in that house instead, her blue eyes sparkling, the warm light illuminating her freckled face. _I won't let them be scared when they die...I won't...wait, shit. I've got it!_

"Sir, if you don't mind I'd like to do this one alone," Theo spoke up as Macnair crept towards the doorway, the man grinned and extended a hand towards the door.

"Very well young Nott, let's see what you can do."

Theo took in a deep breath and silently entered the house. He wouldn't be able to do this to save everyone tonight, but he could at least save them. _Hopefully the spell Mother taught me all those years ago will work out now._

"Wha-" The man froze when he saw Theo, instinctively pushing his wife behind him.

"Please. Trust me." Theo drew his wand hand back and then he flung it forward, green light spilling out of it. The couple crumbled to the floor lifelessly. _I hope this works._

"I underestimated you, Nott." Macnair nodded as he walked into the house, walking over to the muggles and nudging the man with his boot. "So the Finch-Fletchleys are off the list." Macnair looked around greedily, nicking the silver laid out on the table. "Muggles don't deserve silverware." He muttered under his breath as he tucked them into his robes. "I'm going to hit a few more houses, I suggest you do the same." Macnair sneered before leaving the house with a broad grin on his face. _His bloodlust is probably kicking problem is how to- Blaise's Elf._

"Pip!" Theo whispered harshly, the meek House Elf popped into the house, a sceptical look on its' face when it saw the lifeless couple on the ground. Theo threw up a NOtice-Me-Not charm. _That should keep out any unwanted eyes._

"Master Nott," The Elf bowed, large eyes darting over to the bodies. "They aren't dead."

"No, Pip. You can't tell anyone about it either." Theo said firmly, Pip was a loyal House Elf, Theo knew he could entrust the task to him. "I need you to take them somewhere far away, safe, where no one will find them. Tell them their son is safe." _For now._ "Until their son contacts them they are not to return to Britain." Theo instructed clearly.

"Yes, Master Nott. Master Zabini and Malfoy are back home safely," The Elf added quietly, Theo nodded gratefully. _I avoided killing tonight, but I imagine I won't be able to for much longer._ Theo thought grimly. _I hope Red got to her parents safely. Draco would have found a way to reach me if something had gone wrong. I need to find Macnair, make sure his victims don't suffer too much._

Theo left the Elf in the house to follow through with his instructions and jogged through the streets looking to help some of the unfortunate souls that Macnair had set his eyes on.

...

"Mum, I'm alright I swear." Ginny gasped as Molly Weasley squeezed the life out of her with a hug, the side of Ginny's face pressed into one of her Mother's breasts.

Molly smiled lovingly when she pulled away, her fingers digging into Ginny's upper arms. _Shit_. "Ginny dear, where have you been the past month and a bit? Hmmmm," Molly's tone was sickly sweet but Ginny could sense the layer of anger that was hiding behind it.

"With a...friend?" Ginny winced as she said it. _That was the most pathetic excuse ever_.

"A friend you say?" Molly blinked innocently at her daughter, her vice grip not relenting in the slightest.

"My...boyfriend." Ginny said warily, bracing herself for the explosion that was bound to erupt.

"DRACO MALFOY IS YOUR BOYFRIEND?" Molly yelled shrilly.

"No," Ginny said weakly, leaning as far away from her Mother as she physically could.

"Then wha- SIRIUS BLACK!" Molly screamed; Sirius had been waiting outside of the room for the moment she would call his name.

"Yes Molly? Your hair looks lovely today, did you do something new?" He grinned vivaciously.

"I am not in the mood for games, didn't you say Malfoy is the one who told you where she was?" Molly narrowed her eyes.

"I was staying with Draco, Blaise and Theo." Ginny answered the inevitable question that was floating around in the air.

"A HOUSE FULL OF BOYS?"

"I'm only dating one. Draco is taken and Blaise is well, Blaise." Ginny flinched when Molly squinted suspiciously at her, Molly Weasley was no fool. In the last few moments she pieced together who had stolen her daughter away at Bill's wedding.

"Theodore Nott?" Molly whispered softly, Ginny was still on her guard though; Molly did not sound happy.

"Yes,"

"Is he a nice boy?"

 _Is Teddy a nice boy? Ha. Teddy can be caring sometimes but nice? There is nothing nice about Theodore Nott. He can be crass, stubborn, and a right arse, but he's loyal and he would do anything for the people he cares about. Does that make him nice? He'll probably never buy me flowers or write me poetry, but fuck flowers and poetry, as long as I have him I'll be happy._ Ginny was unaware that she had spoken some of her inner monologue aloud, so she was perplexed to see her Mother's eyes wide and mouth agape. "What? Oh...yea I guess he's a nice boy."

George and Fred had stuck their heads around the doorway to listen in on the conversation and were thoroughly amused by what Ginny had just said. They put a hand over each other's mouths to avoid bursting out in laughter and alerting their Mother and sister of their presence.

"I need to sit down," Molly sighed, releasing Ginny and sitting down on the couch, sinking into the plush material.

"He is sorry about his Dad trying to track us down, he told me to send his regards. He would have come...but he's..." Ginny hesitated, biting down on her lip. _He's a Death Eater after all. A defected one, but right now he can't risk anyone even getting a whiff of the truth. Not to mention, stupid 'Dark Lord' called him in yesterday. Please let my idiot be ok. I can't do this without him._ "You-Know-Who summoned him yesterday unexpectedly..." Ginny said with a watery smile.

"Oh Dear, come sweetheart," Molly insisted, holding her arms out. Ginny collapsed onto the couch and broke down in her Mother's arms. She cried because her boyfriend was constantly in danger, she cried because Draco was constantly on edge, worrying about Hermione, his parents, especially his Mother on top of ensuring no one suspected anything was out of the ordinary. Then there was Blaise, whose aloof nature was highly deceiving; Ginny had seen the sorrow underneath his cheery exterior, and the eyes that had seen too much. _Most of the people I love most in this world are in danger right now and I can't do anything to stop it. Harry, Ron and Hermione are trying to complete some impossible task, Luna and Neville are back at Hogwarts going through Merlin knows what. Draco is beside himself with worry over a fake Galleon that could put Hermione in danger, Blaise has been recruited to work beside Theodus freaking Nott. Theo...Theo is...I don't know, I don't know and that is what scares me the most._ Molly stroked her daughter's hair, making soothing noises and hugging her tightly to her. Every one of Ginny's broken cries cutting into her, her little girl should not be making a noise like that. No one should have to endure the War that her children and their friends had been thrown into. All Molly could do was rock Ginny back and forth, praying silently that when this was all over all of her children would be safe and sound.

...

"Red made it to her family safely?" Blaise asked, taking a long drag from the glass of Firewhisky he had just poured himself.

"She did."

"I'm sorry about the whole galleon thing, mate. I honestly thought it was just an plain, old galleon." Blaise apologised, staring at his distorted reflection in the amber liquid in his glass.

"I should have told you about it, usually it's always on me but it completely slipped my mind when I took it out of my robes yesterday."

"Do you feel it?" Blaise said suddenly after a few moments of silence.

"Feel what?"

"Her absence," Blaise murmured, sipping his drink again, moving away from the kitchen and heading over to the living room. He sat down with his back against the front of the couch.

"She's better off without us,"

"Isn't she coming back next week?" Blaise's brow puckered in confusion.

"Maybe she shouldn't..." Draco said quietly.

"Dray..." Blaise frowned, twisting to look at the blonde that was walking towards him, eventually plopping down next to him.

"She isn't safe here."

"This is probably the safest place for her."

"Safer than with her family?"

"Shit. I don't know, Draco." Blaise sighed, rubbing the side of his face with the back of his hand.

"There's so much that isn't up to us...I just...I want at least one person I...care about to not be involved in all of this."

"Theo's Father is hunting her family and all of the other 'Blood-Traitors'. She's no more safe there than she is here. We need to do this together. We just need to survive." Blaise said heatedly.

"Still-"

"Still what, Dray? You, Theo and I have been learning Occlumency for two years now. We'd go insane before anyone could torture information out of us. No one will be able to find about the cottage no matter how much they wanted to."

"She's in more danger because she's with us!" Draco shouted.

"This I need to hear. That's rubbish and you know it." Blaise snorted.

"If the 'Dark Lord' ever found out about her, he would make it his personal vendetta to kill her."

"He's too consumed with ruling and offing Potter to give a shit about us." Blaise scoffed.

"Betrayal. He would see it as a betrayal and would not rest until he thought we'd been sufficiently punished."

"How would yo-"

"He's using my Mother's life against Father and I," Draco reminded him darkly.

"Has your Father managed to find out anything about Gwendolyn?" Blaise asked at the mention of Lucius.

"No. Theodus keeps her under heavy lock and key. She wasn't in the Nott dungeons like Theo thought. Nott Senior has obviously moved her in the last few months." Draco said thoughtfully.

"Why would he do that?"

"I don't know, Blaise. I don't know."

...

Darkness. For the past ten years that was all her life had consisted of. It helped that she had inherited her Mother's cunning. Right before she died her Mother gave her several thick books and said that they may save her life. One did.

In the pitch black space she had learned to call home she meditated and after a couple years of trying she finally did it. She became an Animagus. She had never seen herself but when she shifted it wasn't as dark anymore. Most days she forgot what it was like to be human.

He visited on the rare occasion. A sneer and the same question always falling from his lips. "Will you behave now?" She never answered him, her throat too dry to respond even if she wanted to.

In the early days she thought she would starve or die of dehydration, but he had charmed the room so that when she was on the brink of either, food and water would materialise out of thin air.

Ten years she spent waiting, begging, pleading for something to change.

The moment it did she almost begged for the dinghy cell he had kept her in. This was worse. Much worse.

It had been three weeks and she was thanking her Mother for the umpteenth time as she bounded through the woods.

The first time she had seen herself had been in the reflection of a stream. Her silvery blue eyes calmly staring back at her, her fur was snow white, her paws muddy.

A wolf. A lone wolf. Stuck in a hell pit, surrounded by all manner of creatures that wanted to kill her.

She would not give up. She had survived eight years in a filthy cell; she could survive as long as it took in this deceivingly serene forest.

 _Theo_. Was the last thing she thought before she let the wolf take over. The wolf would keep her alive, it would keep them alive.

* * *

I remembered! I added in a line in the previous chapter towards the beginning to make sure the timeline wasn't affected by my mistake, (it was just them going to get Salazar's locket from Umbridge at the ministry). **I actually love this story so much, and I've gotten a little out of hand with Fall Through time as well. I may not be able to update regularly soon, so I might just update as much as I can and promise to try and update for August. It'll probably be abit tricky, but I will try. Promise will most likely get update twice this week, and same for Fall Through Time (maaaybe).**

 **I want to thank everyone for reading my stories, especially this one, and I hope you like this chapter. I love you all and don't forget to let me know what you think :)**

 **-Indieblue xx**


	4. Home

**I'm going to post Fall Through Time either tomorrow or Wednesday. I want to post tomorrow but if I can't then I'll post it on the day that I'm meant to ;)**

 **I figured out all my stuff so I should be able to post according to the schedule in my bio for the next month.**

 **This chapter was a little bit shorter but I wanted to focus on developing Blaise and Draco a bit more in this chapter and don't worry, Theo will be...fine.**

 **I've been filled with inspiration for Fall Through Time and Promise so should update those soon as well xx**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please let me know what you think about it!**

 **Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, only the storyline is mine.**

* * *

September 19th

 _Happy Birthday._ Draco sent through the coin, that was the best he could give his girlfriend on her birthday. His brilliant girlfriend, who he had not seen for close to three months now, who was running around the country trying to defeat the 'Dark Lord'. _I understand why she couldn't tell me about it, but that doesn't mean it makes any of this any easier._

Theo had turned up yesterday, thoroughly shaken by his past few days with Macnair; he refused to talk about it and Draco had to go into his room twice last night to calm him down.

"I didn't want to, Dray. I didn't- I'm a monster, I should just die," Theo had cried. A burst of accidental magic had set the bedpost on fire, thankfully Draco had his wand on him and was able to put it out immediately.

"You aren't a monster," Draco had whispered to the broken boy, rocking him back and forth until he was lulled to sleep. Blaise came home just as Theo slipped back into his dreams for the third time, and he would have cracked a joke about Ginny being jealous if he hadn't seen the charred wooden bed frame, the haunted look in Draco's eyes, the tear tracks on Theo's face and how torn apart the living room was.

"What happened?" Blaise asked quietly as Draco silently shut Theo's door behind him. Draco rubbed at his temple, sighed and collapsed on the couch in the living room.

"I don't know." Draco confessed, wincing at the broken coffee table in front of him, wordlessly he waved his wand and the table began to mend itself back together. "I did that," Draco answered Blaise's unspoken question as he stared at the table.

"Here, you look like you need it, I know you don't drink that much, but..." Blaise's eyes flicked to Theo's closed door as he handed Draco a glass of Firewhisky. Draco nodded gratefully and took the glass from his friend. Blaise grabbed the bottle and another glass for himself and rested them on the newly repaired coffee table, sitting next to Draco on the couch.

"Red can't see him like this," Draco stated, taking a long drag from his glass, grimacing slightly as the warm, amber liquid burned on its' way down. The second sip wasn't as bad and it filled him with warmth instead of fire this time.

"If anyone can fix our pathetic lives, its' Red." Blaise said firmly, having poured himself a glass and was now working on downing the whole thing.

"True..." _Hermione too, she's good at fixing things. Hopefully when all of this is all over she'll forgive me for whatever I do to survive._

"Red is coming back in about a week, just one more week." Blaise laughed lightly, "We're already falling apart without her, Dray. You really think that we can keep her away? It's like trying to separate a Lioness from her cubs."

"Cute analogy," Draco said dryly, swirling what was left of his drink around in his glass.

"Theo had to kill Muggleborns parents," Blaise confessed after several serene moments.

"You're only now fucking telling me?" Draco yelled, looking at Blaise with a mixture of fury and disbelief. "How do you even know that?"

"Pip told me Theo managed to get a few of them to safety, but Macnair was torturing them...Theo put them out of their misery. He had to watch Macnair go at them for a while though...couldn't risk the man thinking Theo wasn't enjoying it as much as he was." Blaise deadpanned, Draco could sense the thinly veiled anger he was holding back beneath his face of indifference.

"Pip saw all of this?"

"He came to me crying, saying Theo had asked him to stay nearby in case they needed to get others out in a hurry. Sick bastard hit at least three muggle neighbourhoods that night alone." Blaise growled lowly.

"Blaise,"

"No. Draco. If Red gets that evil bastard Theodus, I get to kill Macnair." Blaise gruffly tugged on his dark trusses. Draco avoided asking him about working with Theo's Dad because he knew it was bound to be unpleasant; if Blaise wanted to talk about it he would.

"Macnair is a sick piece of work...I get Dolohov then," Draco said grimly.

"Why Dolohov?"

"He almost killed Hermione in Fifth Year. I'm going to make sure he pays."

"Have you met with the oh so great Dark one recently?" Blaise spat.

"No, why?" Draco frowned.

"He wants us to make more appearances at Hogwarts. ' _We shouldn't waste our education'."_ Blaise snorted.

"Well I can see Red wanting to break into Hogwarts for sure, we can't tell her about Longbottom." Draco glared at Blaise, knowing his tongue was loosened the more he drank, and these days he was drinking his large supply that he had brought with him dry. " _Odgen's Old Firewhisky is my friend, mate."_ Blaise claimed when Draco and Ginny both watched incredulously as he withdrew bottle after bottle out of his suitcase, carefully stocking two of the cupboards under the counter with his supply.

"Shit. Yea, Longbottom and Lovegood definitely grew some balls." Blaise whistled appreciatively.

"They also happen to be two of her best friends with the exception of the trio." Draco reminded him.

"If they keep it up the Carrows might just make them their personal torture toys, you know how they like to play with their food." Blaise said in disgust.

"They're smart though. They haven't been officially caught doing anything," Draco said, finishing off the remnants of his drink.

"I know you aren't going to like this, but maybe we could look out for them for Little Red?" Blaise suggested, wincing when Draco slammed his glass down onto the coffee table.

"Are you insane? We could just end up dead if the bloody Carrows get suspicious." Draco hissed, his grey eyes cold and hard.

"Then what the hell good are we?!" Blaise yelled heatedly, throwing his glass across the room, the glass shattering and falling onto the ground.

"Blaise, I-"

"No. We're literally in hell right now, this place," Blaise gestured wildly around them, "is the only solace I have anymore. Yet people our age are fighting back, Potter, Granger, Weasley, Longbottom! Lovegood isn't even our age, neither is Ginny! I don't feel like we're accomplishing anything when I report to Nott freakin' Senior and see what he does to people." Blaise panted heavily, the last words barely but a whisper.

"I know...I know." Draco whispered.

"I need to do some good, not just report back to Black about all the bad things and the movements of Theo's madman of a Father." Blaise sighed, covering his eyes with one of his hands, resting his head back on one of the couch cushions.

"Ok."

"Ok, what?" Blaise peered at Draco out of the corner of his eye, the blonde met his gaze steadily.

"We're going to help Longbottom and Lovegood," Draco said seriously, Blaise raised an eyebrow. "We not only going to help...we're going to rain hell down on the Carrows and the rest of the Death Eater scum in the castle." Draco swore.

 _Hopefully we'll try to keep Red out of it, but knowing her it is only a matter of time before she figures it out. I suppose our little firecracker is going to make the Carrows wish they were never born._ "Theo won't be happy if Red gets involved."

"Whether he likes it or not, the fact of the matter is that we're at war. I don't know about you, but having Red fighting by my side would be extremely comforting."

"We should suss out the situation first and then involve her...alright?" Draco suggested, Blaise nodded slowly in agreement.

"Well, mate. Here's to our possible death, but hey, at least it's for a good reason," Blaise smiled cheekily, raising his newly filled glass and taking a large sip.

"That's not morbid at all."

"Now you know who _not_ to give a speech to, for your wedding to Granger."

"Who said I was marrying, Hermione?"

"PLEASE, you are head over heels for that girl. You're like a lovesick puppy. It both disgusts and fascinates me all the same time." Blaise scoffed, returning to his drink.

"I'm not a lovesick puppy," Draco shot Blaise an affronted look.

"It's adorable that you lie to yourself like that," Blaise batted his eyelashes at Draco playfully.

"I can't wait for Red to get back," Draco rolled his eyes, getting up off of the ground and headed in the direction of the attic.

"Can't you picture all the bushy haired blonde children scampering around already?" Blaise laughed hysterically as Draco walked away. "They would be so cute, and-" Draco didn't hear the rest of his friend's teasing because he was already heading up the stairs to the attic. He tiredly trudged across the room, flopping onto his bed, kicking off his boots. He found himself staring up at the skylight that Ginny had often escaped out of to sit on the roof and stare at the stars when none of the boys were home.

 _The scary part Blaise is that I can picture them, and that's what terrifies me most. The chance that that may never happen. Even if we do make it out of this war, however long it takes, none of us are going to come out of it unscathed. Heck, if we make it out alive it would be a miracle in and of itself...Hermione, thoughts of her and our future are all that keeps me going some days. A future where both of my parents are free, where Red and Theo are happy, and I have someone else to rely on at...Weasley gatherings. Blaise will settle down, maybe actually properly tell Daphne that he's been in love with her since he first saw her. I'll set the Manor on fire and we can start fresh. It almost sounds too good to be true._

Draco exhaled deeply, and felt his eyelids start to droop, as he did he felt the coin in his pocket start to heat up. He barely managed to withdraw it from his pocket and read what it said. _I love you. Best birthday gift ever._ Draco chuckled softly, he didn't know how the script had fit on the outer circle of the coin, but the neat and elegant writing was scrunched together perfectly. _Salazar I miss her._ Was Draco's last thought before sleep claimed him.

...

September 26th

One of the conditions that Theo had worked out with Sirius when he defected was that Sirius try and see if he could find his older sister. At first Sirius thought the young Nott was joking, but then realised his mistake when the boy grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and Sirius looked at the pain and hatred that swam in the boy's blue eyes. Sirius had never heard of Theodus having any children other than Theo so that's why he assumed the boy had been pulling his leg. _I can't tell the difference between his emotions, the boy always looks irritated, he needs to fix that before he meets Molly. Oh he's in for a huge shock if we all make it through this war._ Sirius chuckled as he walked down to the beach. Ginny was standing knee deep in the water, the waves that crashed against her didn't seem to have any effect on the young witch. Her eyes were closed and her face was tilted toward the sun. Her long hair was thrown up in a messy bun, she had cut the arm holes off of a muggle Nirvana t-shirt, and was wearing shorts that stopped mid thigh.

 _I would never say this to her, but she looks so much like Lily at times._ Sirius thought to himself sheepishly, the illusion was always broken when he saw her eyes. Those same said eyes were now looking at him, a curious twinkle in them. "Sirius?"

"Little Red," He grinned broadly when she rolled her eyes. "I heard you're going back tomorrow." Sirius noted how anxious the witch grew at that statement.

"I'm happy but at the same time I'm worried. Every time I mention Hogwarts to anyone they immediately clamp up. The conversation for the next few minutes is like everyone is treading on eggshells." Ginny sighed deeply.

"I'm not everyone else and I will give you a straight answer. It's bad, Red. Really bad." Sirius said grimly.

The girl deflated at his words, clearly at a loss as to what she should do. "I could go-"

"Back? Over your boyfriend's dead body I'm sure," Sirius laughed heartily, Ginny on the other hand was thoroughly unamused.

"I can't just abandon my friends," Ginny hissed.

"I understand that, but I've met those boys. You're the only thing keeping them from losing it." Sirius said honestly.

"I am...not," Ginny said unconvincingly.

"And I'm not an animagus that was locked up wrongfully in Azkaban for twelve years and almost killed in the Department of Mysteries." Sirius smirked, which only succeeded in angering Ginny further.

"Sirius-"

"I've seen broken, Ginny." Sirius' voice took on a more serious tone now, all joking aside. "Those boys may or may not know it, but you are the only good in their lives right now. They are holding on by a thread." Sirius waded into the water and grasped Ginny's face in between his calloused hands. "They need you, Red."

"I know," Ginny said quietly, her voice shaking.

"I know we've been keeping you away from all the horrible things, but judging from Nott, Malfoy and Zabini's last reports...the horrible things are catching up to us."

"I need to do something, Sirius."

"It's not in your nature to sit still, how about this," Sirius dropped his hands from his face, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Next time you come back, we'll let you in on a couple missions and the such like?"

"Yes, please," Ginny nodded eagerly, a fire rekindling itself in her eyes.

"You should probably finish packing your things up so you're ready to move at dawn tomorrow." Sirius stated, more a demand than a suggestion.

"Who's meeting us there?" Ginny bit her lip. _Little Red is eager to see if Nott junior is alright and in good health, she hasn't seen him in almost two weeks. Though from Malfoy's follow up information the other day, what she might be greeted with is most likely not going to be pretty._

"Zabini said that Malfoy has to go to Hogwarts during the day tomorrow and should be back by nightfall but he or Nott will pick you up." Sirius informed her.

"Okay, thank you, Sirius." Ginny smiled gratefully, the raven haired wizard returned her smile, patted her shoulder and then made to leave the Ocean.

"I best be off to go bother your Mother for some of that wonderful Treacle Tart she makes," Sirius declared merrily. _She may hit me with a wooden spoon a few times, but hey it's totally worth it._

"Good luck with that," Ginny wished him, going back to staring at the sky. _I hope they all make it out of this alive. Nott isn't going to be happy about this, but Red would be the best person to be our eyes and ears inside of Hogwarts._

 _..._

The following Morning

Sirius trotted along next to her, having shifted to his animagus form, the massive black dog was listening around to their surroundings, his tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth. Ginny had a hand firmly tangled into his fur, her other hand tightly held her wand.

The sun was slowly rising and the forest was still majorly cast in shadow as the pair walked vigilantly through it, as they trekked through the silent forest Ginny remembered her early morning goodbyes with her family.

...

"Are you sure you don't want to stay another day?" Molly asked hopefully, twirling some of the ends of Ginny's hair between her fingers, her other hand cradling her daughter's cheek.

"I've been gone long enough, Mum. Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it," Ginny reassured the crying witch.

"You're my daughter, I can't help but worry."

"Mols, Ginny is a big girl, she is going to be just fine," Arthur comforted his wife, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah, Mum. Have you never seen that nasty Bat-Bogey hex of Ginny's?" George teased, falling back onto the couch, winking at Ginny when she rolled her eyes.

"She throws a pretty mean reducto too, she'll demolish any man she comes across," Fred laughed heartily at the pun he had slipped in.

"Bill and Charlie had to leave late last night, they thought they would be back in time to say good bye, but there were some slight delays," Arthur said carefully, his gaze darting quickly to his wife, whose sobbing was now growing out of control.

"Ok, we need to get a move on, so kiss your parents good bye, hex the twins if you feel to, and let's go." Sirius walked into the living room, Fleur was hovering by the doorway. She felt like she was intruding on an intimate moment so she elected to give the rest of the Weasleys some space. That's why Ginny surprised her and herself when she walked up to Fleur and wrapped her arms around the thin blonde, Fleur's arms hung loosely by her sides before she hesitantly moved her arms to Ginny's back, her hands sliding upwards, one of them grasping onto Ginny's shoulder.

"I'm even going to miss you, Fleur," Ginny said softly so only the two females could hear. Fleur withdrew herself and grasped Ginny's face in her hands, she leaned forward and kissed her quickly on both of her cheeks.

"Bee careful, 'inny," Fleur wished her, letting go of her face and letting Sirius usher Ginny out of the room.

As they had walked away from the house Ginny had snuck a glance over her shoulder, imprinting the image of the house, illuminated by the soft glow of the lights and the first rays of sunshine for the morning, dancing across the sky and sea. Swallowing hard she looked away and as soon as their feet left the wards, Sirius apparated them away.

...

Ginny was lost in her thoughts, not noticing that the large dog had stopped. Only when a loud growl ripped through his bared teeth did she stop. Sirius sniffed the air, and Ginny raised her wand. A shadowy figure was moving towards them, a pitch black cloak covering them, the hood masking their features. Ginny was raring and ready to throw a hex at them before they stopped abruptly. Their face tilted upwards and gloved hands moved to remove the hood. When Ginny saw the dark skinned male in front of her, his white teeth shining in the dim light, she wanted to hex him regardless.

"Was the get up really necessary, Blaise?" Ginny scolded the Slytherin, tossing a minor stinging hex at him anyway.

"I wanted to add to the ambiance, the whole mood and tone of the situation. Meeting in the woods, pretty girl...her lovable...pet," Sirius barked loudly once at the term and Blaise shrugged. "C'mon, Red, it's time to go home," Blaise opened his arms wide.

"Foolish boy." Sirius grumbled when he shifted back into a human, he nodded at Blaise, gratefully grabbing the cloak the boy had removed and slipping it on. "You be good now. Don't do anything I would do," Sirius warned Ginny, kissing her forehead lightly. Ginny hugged the older wizard tightly, he had become like an Uncle to her during the summer and saying goodbye to him was unbearably hard. She didn't know if she was going to see him again, the war brought with it all types of uncertainty.

"You be safe now, Sirius Black." Ginny whispered into his hair, her chin resting on his shoulder.

"Always, Red." Sirius chuckled when he pulled away, Ginny narrowed her eyes in mock anger, but Sirius knew better; if she was really angry she would have hexed him by now. Just like her Mother.

Ginny turned away from the raven haired wizard and began to head in Blaise's direction; the Italian was leaning against a tree waiting for her, silently he opened his arms once more and she walked right into them. "Take me home, Blaise."

"Your wish is my command, Red." Blaise murmured and with a spin they were gone.

...

Ginny was astonished and delighted to find Draco leaning against the front of the house, a weary smile on his face as he greeted her. He didn't hug her, she didn't expect him to, instead he pulled her into his side and gently led her into the house. "Red...things changed a little since you left, Theo is..."

"Godric, he isn't hurt is he?" Ginny peered up at the anxious blonde.

"Not...physically. He's doing a lot better today because he knows you're meant to be back today but-" Draco faltered when he looked up, past the living room where Theo was standing in the doorway of his bedroom.

Theo was in a pair of teal boxers, mismatched yellow and grey socks. His curls were all over the place giving him a wild look, the lines from where the sheet had pressed into his cheek was still present. It was his eyes that worried her. _Merlin they're bloodshot, like he hasn't slept in days._ Ginny dropped her bag, she let go of Draco and she walked slowly over to him, he stared at her as she crossed the room, his eyes following her every movement.

"Teddy, love?" Ginny whispered, her hands shaking when they touched his bare chest, sliding up and around his neck.

"Red?" Theo spoke in a gravelly voice, as if he hadn't spoken in ages, his hands tentatively coming to rest on her hips.

"I'm home, Teddy."

"You're home," Theo repeated, his head falling onto her shoulder, breathing in her scent. Ginny tightened her grip on him. Draco and Blaise quietly backed out of the house to give the couple some privacy. Theo and Ginny rocked back in forth for a long time, holding each other and revelling in the other's presence. _I'm home._

* * *

 **I hope you liked it!**

 **The next chapter we'll start getting more into the war and all of that 'lovely' goodness. As well as a bit of a fun surprise :)**

 **Anyways, love you all!**

 **-Indieblue xx**


	5. Everything is Back to Normal Right?

**First off, sorry that this is a bit late! I've been quite the busy girl.**

 **Chic. Geek. Fangirl. Freak : have I told you lately that I love you ;) (I literally just noticed that goes back with part of the chapter, hehe) (/ ' . ')/**

 **The next chapter will be a lot longer than this and will probably be allll Ginny and Theo. Not sure, let me know if there's anything you want to see more of and so on and so forth.**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling and only the storyline is mine.**

 **WARNING. I thought it was necessary to say that this chapter is a tad bit more graphic. So just warning you ahead of time and making sure you know that going into this chapter. SERIOUSLY if you don't like violence and stuff like that, this may be a bit uncomfortable. It is a war after all. Sorry in advance.**

* * *

October 6th

It was if she never left, they all fell into a comfortable routine again. Yet at the same time everything was so different. Ginny got used to waking up in the middle of the night to Theo's screaming. He refused to taking any dreamless sleeping potion; he was adamant that he was going to become addicted if he did. So it became a habit to cradle his head to her chest whispering soft comforts as he hugged her to him.

During the day it was if nothing had happened, Theo was back to being his normal self. Somewhat crass, sarcastic and according to Ginny, loveable.

Draco needed to leave in the middle of the night when he felt his mark burn. Ginny had woken up to a different person screaming in throes of agony. Normally it just got hot is what the boys had described to her, but last night it meant he was angry, very angry. Draco said he felt like it was being etched into his skin again.

Ginny didn't go back to sleep. She had climbed onto the roof and watched the sun rise, her cup of tea growing cold beside her, stuck to the roof with a sticking charm. "For the morning sun in all its' glory, greets the days with hope and comfort too. You fill my life with laughter and somehow you make it better, ease my troubles that's what you do." Ginny sang softly. _I can never remember the name of the muggle artist that sings that song. Oh, Dad was so excited when he brought home that pile of vinyl records and record player a few years back._

"You have a beautiful voice, Red." Theo said, climbing out onto the roof. He carefully made his way over to where she was sitting and sat down behind her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. Ginny sighed deeply and rested her head back onto his chest.

"I thought you were still sleeping." Ginny said.

"Well, I'm worried about Dray and Blaise," Theo admitted, kissing the side of her face.

"You mean Blaise's drinking problem?" Ginny laughed harshly.

"He isn't drinking as much as he has in the past so at least there's that."

"Draco still not back?"

"No."

"When are you meant to go back to Macnair?" Ginny asked in a hushed tone.

"I'm meant...to go back to Hogwarts for the next few weeks actually." Theo confessed, he knew Ginny would want to go back, so he had been hesitant to tell her about it.

"Hogwarts," Ginny whispered almost reverently. "Sirius said it was bad."

Theo frowned, his jaw clenched. Confusion and anger present on his features. Anger because Sirius had told Ginny about Hogwarts, and it was in her nature to want to help. Confusion since he knew what his girlfriend was like so he was perplexed as to why she hadn't asked him to go back yet.

"I think it would be a good idea to go back," Ginny said quietly.

"For you or for me?" Theo asked, for clarification.

"Both of us, I could sneak out on evenings with you," Ginny suggested.

"The Carrows pretty much have the place on lockdown, Ginny." Theo said sternly. _He used my real name, he's serious._

"Theo..."

"If you go back to Hogwarts, Ginny. You aren't going to be able to leave again."

"So you expect me to just sit around and overhear stories from my family members about my friends?" Ginny twisted around to face him, Theo raised his hands to his face, his palms against his eyelids.

"I can't..."

"Can't what, Theo?" Ginny asked fiercely, pulling his hands away from his face, her eyes meeting his guarded pale ones.

"Can't handle knowing I'm letting you walk into a place you may not walk out of. Even if you do, it won't be unscathed."

"We're in the middle of a war, Theo. None of us are going to walk away unscathed." Ginny grumbled.

"I...we can talk about this later," Theo sighed. Ginny scowled and then something strange happened, she saw Theo's gaze soften, she felt one of his hands stroke her cheek and then images began to lash through her mind.

...

 _"This one fought back, she had such a pretty face," Macnair grinned darkly down at the blank eyes of the blonde woman sprawled out on the ground, she was laying in a pool of blood. A man was lying face down a few feet away, his hand extended as if he was trying to reach the ashy blonde haired boy that was slumped against the wall. A tan teddy bear still clutched to his body, the boys eyes were closed, the large gash across his temple the only indication that he wasn't sleeping. He looked almost peaceful. The woman mouth was agape still formed in a silent scream._

 _It was all Theo could do not to vomit his guts clean right there. Cuts littered the woman and man's bodies, their clothes tattered. Some of the cuts had cut through the flesh, through muscle all the way to the bone. Theo stepped back, a wet sound filling his ears as he moved through the blood that had stained the stone._

 _"You finished up with the house a street back, Nott?" Macnair sneered at the boy, who was doing everything in his power not to show the Older Death Eater how much the scene on front of him bothered him._

 _"Yes, sir." Theo deadpanned, shoving his trembling hand into his robes pocket, trying to portray an air of indifference._

 _"Had to make sure we didn't have any future Mudbloods," Macnair guffawed when he followed Theo's gaze. Theo was staring at the bear's leg that was touching the floor, he blood seeping slowly into the light coloured fur._

 _Macnair's cold laughter rebounded through Theo's head, it sounded wrong and out of place here. It was unlike Ginny's musical laughter, Blaise's loud but hearty laughter or Draco's bright but more muted laughter. It was eerie, it sent chills down Theo's spine. The dark haired wizard stood there in the middle of the carnage he had unleashed on the defenceless muggles, his black robes stained with blood, blood splatter across his face. A gleeful and deranged look in his eyes. It was almost funny how bizarre the situation was. Macnair was happy at the death around him._

 _"Course this will be a little more difficult to explain," Macnair sulked, then shrugged as if their lives meant nothing to him. From Theo had learned of the man, he wouldn't give them a second thought come morning._

 _"Are we finished for the evening...sir?" Theo asked tightly, desperately clinging to an image of Ginny's face in his mind to keep him from losing it and killing Macnair right there._

 _"I'm glad I accompanied you on the last few houses, it was amusing watching a newbie kill those muggles. I think we've cleaned out this neighbourhood, so we need to move on to the next one." Macnair nodded happily._

 _"The next one?"_

 _"The night is still young, my dear Nott."_

 _"Of course, Sir." Theo felt all hope that this nightmare would be over soon wither up inside of him. This was going to be a long night, one he was regretfully never going to forget._

...

Ginny gasped for air, eyes wide, her fingers digging into Theo's forearms. She looked up at him and he looked...stunned. His eyes were wide and shame was splayed across his features.

"Th-"

"NO." Theo shouted, ripping his arms from her grasp, getting up and he ran across the room and was back down into the attic before she could even reach out for him properly.

Ginny was left dazed, confused, and reeling from her experience with nothing but her thoughts, cold tea and the breaking dawn to accompany her.

...

October 7th

"Draco won't you at least tell me where you go when you aren't here or at Hogwarts?" Narcissa bit her lip, her normally flawless put together hair, flying around loosely around her face. Draco had never seen her like this. She had on a plain black shirt tucked into a green, velvet pair of mid thigh shorts, casual day robes unfastened around her shoulders, her feet bare.

"Why are you dressed like that?" Draco frowned, choosing to ignore her question.

"When I'm...alone. I like to unwind a bit..." His Mother chose her words carefully. _So when Father locks himself in his study and dear Aunt Bella is out for the evening. Oh yea and when the 'Dark Lord' is off doing whatever Dark Lords do in their spare time._

"I can tell from that lovely glass of Elf wine that you've poured yourself," Draco said dryly, fixing his robes before passing by his Mother to enter his parents room.

"If you won't tell me that, can you at least tell me how that girl of yours is?" Narcissa asked, shutting the double doors behind Draco and padding across the door to sit daintily on the window seat; the window was open allowing the chilly air to blow into the room.

Draco had told his Mother about Hermione the first chance he had gotten to be alone with Narcissa when he had come home for Easter Break.

"As far as I know she is lovely, considering." Draco sighed, choosing to perch himself on the bottom of the King sized bed, a little ways away from his Mother.

"Well it is a war," Narcissa said bitterly. Draco hated coming back to the Manor, but every time he came part of it became worth it to see his Mother. Narcissa was not the typical pureblooded wife, she did not sit on the sidelines and let things happen. She clearly stated to Lucius when she was not comfortable with something. In some cases it was out of her hands; Narcissa Malfoy did not like not being in control.

"Has Father stopped drinking?" Draco examined his nails, raising an eyebrow at his Mother.

"Mipsy refused to get him more Firewhisky," Narcissa stated as if that was a sufficient answer, tucking some of her hair behind her ear and taking a sip of her wine.

"Mipsy is loyal to me alone,"

"And of course you ordered her not to supply your Father with alcohol," Narcissa smirked.

"He could have asked one of the other ones," Draco crossed his arms over his chest.

"My Darling boy, your Father is in a state right now, I think he has not been sober a single day since the Dark Lord took his wand. The Dark Lord is also not interested in him right now, so he is quite content to drink his days away." Narcissa scowled, angrily sipping her wine again. Draco stood up and walked slowly over to his Mother, she shifted so that when he sat down he was in between her legs, his head resting backward on her shoulder.

"Why is everything such a bloody mess?" Draco sighed, Narcissa affectionately pinched his shoulder when he said 'bloody'.

"It's difficult to pinpoint the exact origin of all of this mess, but we can't focus too much on the past if we want to survive the present, son." Narcissa stroked Draco's head lightly.

"I miss her."

"I know, sweetheart," Narcissa shifted to put her glass on the floor, and then when she came back up, she wrapped her arms around Draco's middle. "You'll see her soon, I promise," Narcissa said tenderly, squeezing Draco lightly.

"The Dark Lord wants to have me spend most of my time at Hogwarts. Says he needs someone to hold down the fort, there was some rebelling...mainly Gryffindors last week. He wasn't pleased. Do you know what else was bothering him, it can't just be disobedient students at Hogwarts." Draco frowned.

"Whatever it is, he got quite upset yesterday, after you met with him he left the Manor in a hurry and has not been back since." Narcissa informed her son.

"Theo is still on duty with Macnair, and expected to be at Hogwarts as frequently as he can, Blaise is meant to report to Theodus in two days, and when not with him, same as Theo." Draco informed his Mother.

"The Dark Lord told you that?"

"He said he wouldn't have time to tell them himself, and he knows that I'm 'close' with them." Draco rolled his eyes.

"Stay a little while longer, it's not often that I have my son with me. I may just go crazy in this massive house all by myself."

"What, a inebriated Father is no fun then?" Draco teased lightly.

"Your Father has always been and will continue to be a sad drunk. Others may do frivolous and foolish things. Not your Father. He wallows in his pain and grief. There is absolutely nothing fun about that," Narcissa mumbled.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm afraid my dear boy, that there is so much to be sorry for, and not enough apologies in the world to fix it all."

...

October 9th

"WILLIAM?" Molly yelled as she entered the cottage, she knew that Fleur was going to be out all day, but Bill was meant to be at the cottage. Most of the other order members were occupying other safe houses at this point; when Sirius wasn't on missions he was sleeping in the attic. Fred and George lived in the flat above their joke shop, and Charlie crashed with them most nights. Remus and Tonks spent most of their time at the Den; Remus' house and residence. Molly thought Remus was being ridiculous. Several times he had opted to go on the more dangerous missions even though he had a pregnant wife at home worrying about his welfare.

"Mum?" Bill peeked into the house through the kitchen door.

"What are you doing outside?" Molly put her hands on her hips, raising an eyebrow at her eldest son.

"I come bearing gifts," Bill smirked, and then he stepped into the cottage, dragging Ron in the lapel of his jacket. Molly's hands went to her mouth.

"Oh," Molly cried, rushing forward and tightly squeezing her youngest son to her breast. Bill stifled a laugh, since Molly was at least a foot shorter than her son, yet Ron was awkwardly smooshed against her chest.

"Hi, Mum." Ron managed to get out, his hands gently patting her arms. A loving hug turned into a death hold in a matter of seconds.

"Ronald,"

"Yes, Mother?" Ron said cautiously.

"Where are Harry and Hermione?" Molly's voice was deceivingly sweet.

"Dunno."

"RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY, ARE YOU TELLING ME YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE YOUR BEST FRIENDS ARE?" Molly screamed, Ron winced, unprepared and unable to brace for the jarring noise that was ringing in his ears.

"I got angry, the...well something was messing with my emotions, I got...jealous." Ron said quietly, Molly pulled back and narrowed her eyes as she looked into Ron's eyes.

"Let me get this straight, you got jealous and let your temper get the best of you...as per usual, and now those two are on their own, on the run...with Snatchers, Death Eaters and all kinds of lowlifes looking for them?" Molly asked, her hands moving to Ron's cheeks.

"Uhhhhhh..."

"Ronald!" Molly said in a scolding tone, yanking on his ear.

"Ow, that hurt, Mum." Ron said, standing up and sulkily rubbing his earlobe.

"Good," Molly gave a firm nod. Bill who had watched the entire exchange in amusement, was unpacking the vegetables and wiggling his eyebrows at Ron.

"Ginny was just here, Ron," Bill tried to change the subject.

"Still not sure I'm comfortable with her staying a house with only boys," Molly shook her head, moving to help Bill.

"Ginny is doing what?" Ron's jaw dropped.

"Living with three defected Slytherins," Bill grinned, biting into an apple, delighted by how distraught Ron seemed.

"She's, wha- I, wai-"

"Living with three defected Slytherins, and dating one of them," Bill shrugged.

"WHAT?" Ron yelled squeakily.

"Malfoy, Zabini and Nott," Bill held up a finger as he said each name.

"MALFOY?" Ron yelled, growing agitated.

"Oh get over it, Ronald and come help your Mother get started on dinner," Molly commanded, picking up a wooden spoon up off of the counter and waving it around at him.

"But-"

"Now, Ronald."

"Blimey, I'm gone a few months and everyone's gone barmy," Ron shook his head in astonishment, dropping his knapsack on the ground, and rolling up his jacket sleeves.

...

October 23rd

"I know the Dark Lord gave you permission to do it, but don't you think it was a tad bit excessive, Theodus?"

"Now, now Snape. Why don't you go back to being Headmaster and let the real men do what they need to," Theo growled. The two men were waiting outside of one of the drawing rooms in Malfoy manor. The Dark Lord having summoned them close to an hour ago.

"No need to be so nasty, Nott." Snape sighed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What I do with my daughter is my business,"

"Right, creating a forest not too far away from here and filling it with all kinds of dangerous creatures is a lovely environment in which to punish our children." Snape drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"She fell in love with a Blood Traitor," Theodus scowled.

"She was sixteen,"

"If she was acting up then, imagine the nightmare she would have been if I let that kind of misguided behaviour continue," Theodus sneered.

"We wouldn't want any kind of sinful acts to be committed,"

"Exactly, left to her own devices she would have married a Blood Traitor."

"The absolute horror," Snape said blankly.

"Professor Snape, Mister Nott," Blaise walked up from behind them and greeted both of the older men.

"Zabini," Snape narrowed his eyes at the indifferent youth, Theodus grunted, his pale eyes flashing dangerously. He was itching to get back on the hunt for the Blood Traitors. He ran an impatient hand through his dark curls. The similarities between Theo and his Father were present; but where Theo was crude and maybe a bit rough around the edges yet well meaning, Theodus revelled in others pain and any good left in him was cowering in a deep part of his soul, shrivelled and practically non-existent.

The dark stained doors opened and a foul stench hit all of them simultaneously. Theodus shrugged it off and strode purposefully into the room, Snape scrunched up his nose for a moment and then quickly followed. Blaise however was trying not to gag, eyes watering he ran to catch up to the other two men.

"Gentlemen," Voldemort greeted the three men as he stood backing them staring out of the closed glass window.

"My Lord," The three bowed and spoke in sync.

"I'm sorry for the...mess. I was unable to clean up after Nagini had a little fun with our friend over there," Voldemort said dismissively, Blaise risked glancing to his right. A body or at least what was left of it was torn apart and shredded in the corner, Nagini was slithering around in the bloodbath that had clearly gone on, the ivory green painted walls were plattered with blood. Judging from the spell, Blaise guessed that the body had been here for a few days. Skin was ripped back from the body exposing all of the internal organs and skeleton.

"You summoned us, my liege?" Theodus asked.

"Yes, my Dear Nott." Voldemort's eyes turned on Snape first, " I trust the...incidents at Hogwarts have died down?"

"There are fewer and fewer of them every week, the persistent students are...being dealt with as we speak," Snape sneered. Which meant the Carrows are having a lovely afternoon.

"Theodus, about the matter with the forest, it seems that some of the less deadly creatures are being killed, we are unsure as to what the cause is...but your daughter is nowhere to be found," Voldemort said, and his tone almost sounded sympathetic.

"I don't understand?" Theodus frowned.

"We cannot pick up her magical presence, Dolohov went to check on things last week and reported he could not find her. Which means she is either dead or she escaped somehow." Voldemort said slowly, his red eyes regarding Theodus with pity.

"I see, is that all my Lord?" Theodus asked tightly, his fists clenched.

"Yes, I thought you may wish a break from your task, in which I can let Mister Zabini take over in between his schooling," Voldemort suggested casually as if Blaise would be taking over as Captain of a school club, as opposed to a group hunting down and trying to kill 'Blood Traitors'.

"I'll be fine, My Lord." Theodus insisted, looking over his shoulder at Blaise he added gruffly, "spend the week at school, kid. I'll expect you back first thing next week."

"Yes, Sir," Blaise nodded.

"You're all dismissed," Voldemort said coldly, turning around to look out of the window again, Nagini slithered across the room rubbing against one of his legs.

All of the men were eager to leave the room that reeked of death for different reasons. Blaise wanted to tell Theo what he learned about Gwendolyn and to get as far as he could from the sticky floored room. Theodus was eager to shed some blood, annoyed that his daughter had either escaped or died; he didn't think she had sufficiently paid for her way of thinking, and he didn't want her to die, just to learn her lesson. Snape needed to stop the Carrows before Luna or Neville ended up in the infirmary again from their multiple detention sessions. Finnegan and Thomas had joined them today and Alecto had been all to enthusiastic about that. Apparently Terry Boot was no fun because he kept an impassive expression all the way until he fainted.

* * *

 **The song Ginny sang was 'Have I Told You Lately That I love You' by Rob Stewart btw in case anyone was interested :).**

 **I should be updating Fall Through Time in a couple hours :")**

 **This chapter is a little short I'm sorry :T but I've been insanely busy so I only managed to write this much. I would have written some more but I felt like I'm two days late ish, so I'm going to update it now and hopefully you like it x.**

 **-Indieblue xx**

 **P.S. I'm sorry it's a tad bit more graphic, this fic is a bit more on the darker side since it is a war and nothing in war is pretty. Also I think you can guess what happened with Ginny and if anyone has any ideas I'd be happy to hear them! :D**


	6. Danger is Lurking Around Every Corner

**I'm updating on time! Go me! I warn you I didn't have time to edit through it so there may be some grammatical errors so I'm sorry about that. This chapter isn't as graphic as the last one, but trust me there are so not so nice elements to it. Hermione is in this chapter, whoop whoop. SLIGHT Dramione but not really. Going through the timeline it's kind of interesting seeing how nothing really happened in October/ November in the book. I mean of course things happened, but not nearly as much as you would think.**

 **I am saying this now before anyone gets any weird ideas. Draco and Luna are just friends. Yes I like their pairing a lot, but in this fic they are JUST friends. Thought I'd dispel any doubt before it happened.**

 **chic. geek. fangirl. freak : ;) hehe. Questions to be answered. Also I love how you love this story xx seriously makes me all warm and fuzzy.**

 **Any guesses as to what is going to happen in the future based on any events in this chapter are welcome. I'd love to see if anyone has any theories. (All eight of you that follow this story :p)**

 **I love everyone who reads any of my stories, but this one has a special place in my heart. So I'm so, so glad that people like it. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, and following and favouriting it, or any of my other stories.**

 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter and only the storyline is mine.**

 **I hope you enjoy the chapter! It's a little bit longer, and things are moving along.**

* * *

October 25th

Hermione gasped for air when she violently woke up from her dream, a cold layer of sweat covered her skin, her clothes sticking to her uncomfortably. _I need some air._

Hermione had been having blurry night terrors for the past few weeks. They were always unclear, but the foreboding feeling she got when she woke up made her nervous.

Harry had woken her up in a panic one night because she was begging in her sleep for someone to stop something. Harry said her hands were tugging at her hair in her sleep and at the rate she was going to pull out clumps of it.

Hermione grabbed a cardigan from next to her sleeping bag and slipped it on, pulling it tightly around her body. Shoving her feet into her boots she exited the tent. The chilly night air hitting her immediately. The cold pinking her cheeks and nose in a matter of minutes; she tucked her hands underneath her armpits to keep them warm and she looked out at the snowy forest around them.

Ron had been gone for almost two weeks and Harry had grown increasingly sombre without the redhead here. Hermione had tried to cheer him up, but the horcrux certainly didn't help things.

 _I wish Draco was here. For some bizarre reason he loves the snow. He would love it here._ Hermione thought wistfully. She had thought about telling Harry about Draco, but with everything he was going through she didn't think having a row over her boyfriend was practical at this point in time.

Hermione was trying to keep herself together but with Draco in danger, and the severity of the memory charms she had performed on her parents it was becoming increasingly difficult each day.

 _I just want this war to be over. I want to find my parents and reverse what I did. I want Ron to be okay and get over himself. I want Harry to find someone to love him and nurture him, because Merlin knows he needs it. I want to meet Theo and I hope that Ginny is okay. I want to eat lunch on Sundays at the Burrow, to get a sweater from Missus Weasley for Christmas. I can't believe I'm saying this...but I want to marry Draco and meet his parents. I'm not naive enough to think they'll accept me instantly, but I want to try. I want to be able to argue with Lucius and Narcissa, and prove to them that muggleborns are not inferior. I want to free House Elves and read more books. I want to do so much._ Hermione was so lost in her thoughts and wishes, she didn't hear Harry come up behind her, she didn't notice him until he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"Nightmare?" He asked softly.

"Nightmare," She confirmed.

"Does it have anything to do with Malfoy?" Harry frowned.

Hermione stiffened, a chill running down her spine. "What do you mean?"

"You kept saying his name in your sleep. You were pleading as well. Begging someone to stop something."

"Harry, I have something to tell you," Hermione confessed, biting her lip.

"Can it wait until morning?"

"Yes," Hermione said slowly. _In the morning I'm going to tell Harry everything. Draco, how it started, everything. I'm going to tell him that I love him._ Hermione smiled sadly when she envisioned the platinum blonde haired boy, with light grey eyes and a sad smile. _Godric, I love him._

...

October 26th

"Well, well. If it isn't the young Malfoy," Greyback snarled, baring his pointed teeth at Draco.

"I was sent to deliver a message." Draco drawled, tucking his hand into his robes to grasp his wand. He wanted to be ready at any given point to hex Fenrir if he got too out of hand. _I don't know why the Dark Lord didn't get someone else to so this bloody job. He wants me to be at school, yet I'm here relaying messages to a savage. I need to get back to school and find a way to stop the Carrows from dismembering Longbottom._

"Let's hear it, Blondie," Greyback grinned toothily, laughing lowly along with the rest of his lackeys seating around the dinghy table.

Draco was less than pleased to find the pack of werewolves holed up in a old, and less than pleasant, muggle pub. Some of the windows were boarded up, a thick layer of dust covered all of the liquor bottles behind the bar. The furniture was shoddy and rotting. _If one of their chairs gives out from under them I would not be surprised._ The bar counter had a huge chunk out of it that looked suspiciously like teeth marks. It was small and in the past maybe it was quaint and homey. Now Draco felt the stifling, stale air filling his lungs, the sneering werewolves almost crowding him. A few of them were passed out in the booths, half empty bottles and glasses filled with various alcoholic beverages littering the tables.

"The Dark Lord wishes for you to start aiding the Snatcher groups to find wayward witches and wizards that are at large, he also wishes to have a meeting with you sometime soon." Draco said dryly, his eyes flicking to a scrawny werewolf to his right, the man's eyes had shifted to the tell tale gold and his low growl only served to put Draco more on his guard.

"Alright, l'll bite. Do I still get what I was promised?" Greyback pulled his upper lip back over his teeth, his yellowed claws tapping the table.

"That is what he wants to meet about. He agrees to most of your terms but he wants you to focus your efforts on leading a Snatchers team at this point in time." Draco said carefully.

"Fine, pretty boy. You know. Someday you and I are going to have a nice, long chat." Greyback ran his tongue over his teeth hungrily, the double meaning hanging in the air as the rest of his pack laughed. Draco shuddered at the thought but kept his face impassive.

"If you'll excuse me, I have other business to get to." Draco smiled tightly. Knowing better than to turn his back on a hungry, and slightly inebriated pack of viscous werewolves, Draco kept an eye of them as he quickly apparated away. The wicked grin on Fenrir Greyback's face the last thing he saw.

...

When Draco strode through the corridors of the castle, heading in the direction of the DADA classroom where the Carrows held most of their detention sessions. _I hope Longbottom had the good sense not to talk back this time. It only riles them up more._

Draco hesitated outside the classroom when he reached it, leaning closer to the door, attempting to see if he could hear anything. _Silencing charms most likely, that or they fell asleep. It is almost two in the morning._ Taking a deep breath, and schooling his expression to mask of indifference, Draco waved his wand and undid the locking charms. What he found was something that he had grown used to but never failed to make him sick to his stomach. _Figures that the Carrows would have no boundaries, even incest is on the plate them._

"Malfoy, why are you here?" Alecto purred, stroking the bare chest of her brother as she lay across it scantily clothed. Draco's eyes searched the dimly lit room, to see Neville wrist tied to two columns on either side of him, effectively holding his limp body up.

"I think you should return Fatbottom to his dorm now," Draco drawled.

"Why do you care?" Amycus raised an eyebrow, his arm snaking around Alecto's waist. _Thank Merlin they had the decency to cover their lower halves with a sheet. Though doing it in front of an unconscious boy that you tortured in the middle of a classroom is a far cry from decent._

"The Dark Lord wanted me to keep an eye on the rebellious students, and I would say that he has received a sufficient amount of punishment for today, wouldn't you? Even though he is a blood traitor he does deserve a little more respect." Draco said coldly, Alecto narrowed her eyes at him, and then waved her wand, Neville's bonds untangling from his limbs, the young adult fell heavily to the floor. _Who knew Longbottom could be so tough._ Draco found a new level of respect for the Gryffindor as he flicked his wand and levitated the boy's body behind him. Draco could hear the light sound of blood dripping onto the hardwood floors as Neville moved over them.

Draco waited until he had reached a dark alcove, far away from the DADA classroom before placing Neville's bloody and battered body on the ground carefully. "What the hell did you say to Alecto?" Draco hissed pityingly as he looked over Neville's body, small cuts covered his face, a large bruise was forming under his right eye, and the back of his shirt was tattered, Draco's eyes widened when he learned why. "Shit, I didn't even think." Draco levitated Neville a few feet off of the ground, and peered underneath to see the large gashes that criss-crossed his back. Some of his flesh was hanging off of the top of his back, "I hope Lovegood is better at healing charms and potions than I am," Draco whistled lowly. _I definitely will never make fun of Longbottom again if I can help it...well maybe I will, but seriously. No wonder he passed out, from what I've learned about this new and improved Longbottom, he probably lashed out at them with his tongue until he did._

Draco hurriedly rushed to the Room of Requirement, on his guard for anyone that would hinder his movements, or get in his way. _Which is unfortunately too many people these days. Snape is no help since he is either still playing the spy and can't risk his position, Slughorn is a bit of a pushover. The Carrows are bloody insane. McGonagall as much as she would like to stick it to them, already almost got her hand blown off by an 'accidental' hex sent her way. Not to mention every time she goes to the Carrows to complain about their detention sessions, there isn't anything she can do. It must be all very frustrating for her._ Whilst McGonagall had never been his favourite teacher, he was starting to see why she had been Hermione's.

When Draco finally reached his destination on the Seventh Floor, he paced impatiently in front of the blank wall. _I need to go where everyone else is hiding, a safe place for the students of Hogwarts, I need to help Longbottom so he doesn't succumb to his injuries due to blood loss._ A large oak door with intricate metallic details began to form and Draco sighed in relief.

"I need Lovegood!" Draco bellowed once the door shut behind him. Sleepy faces began to turn to him, the dark room beginning to lighten when whispers of "Lumos," began to go around the room. Cho Chang gasped before firing a spell at all of the wall lanterns. lighting them up.

"What happened?" Luna asked, a grim expression on her usually carefree face. A bright orange nightgown on her body, one of the straps having fallen off of her shoulder. A pair of green and yellow striped ankle socks on her feet. She quickly pulled her hair into a messy bun, securing it with a clip. Luna pulled her wand from behind her ear and wordlessly flipped Neville he was facing down. Unlike everyone else who hissed when they saw the angry marks across their comrades back, Luna merely knelt down and reached into a bag at her side, lightly rubbing a bright green paste over Neville's wounds. When it was all covered in the thick paste, she flipped him again. Opening his mouth and tilting his head forward. Pouring a few potion vials down his throat. When she was done, Neville's eyes shot open and a single pained, broken cry ripped from his lips, his body began to shake, and Draco helped Luna hold Neville's arms to his side.

"I think that should help, but we're going to need to keep him levitating all night, he has minor cuts on his front as well, but I don't think laying him on his front is a good idea since he may have a broken rib." Luna informed Draco, Neville had passed out again, his quaking ceased. Luna waved her wand over Neville and a pale yellow light glowed over his ribcage briefly. "It's cracked, not fully broken. We have to be careful not to jostle him too much."

"Have I ever told you that you're pretty amazing, Lovegood?" Draco whistled, complimenting the dreamy girl.

"No, thank you, Draco."

Seamus was in the back of the room whispering to a group of Hufflepuffs and Dean. Seamus had been wary of Draco from the moment he had started helping them a month before, especially when Zabini had come with on more than one occasion. His sentiments were shared with several others, but Draco had more than proven himself, yet the boys were still on their guard in case it all turned out to be too good to be true. Draco had asked that they all made Wizard Oath's never to tell anyone on the Dark side about what Draco or Blaise was doing, because if they did both boys would be dead in minutes. They were risking everything to help them.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get him earlier," Draco apologised, sitting on the floor next to Luna, watching Neville's pale features as he breathed in and out softly.

"He's alive, and that's all that matters. Any longer and he would have bled out." Luna said quietly, resting her head on Draco's shoulder. Draco had found a unlikely friendship with the blonde haired girl, and Luna's face would always light up when he would tell her stories about Ginny.

"Is Ginny okay?" Luna whispered so only he could hear her question.

"They still aren't talking, but other than that she's okay." Draco confirmed, being careful not to say Theo's name in case someone was listening.

"They'll be okay, we'll all be ok," Luna said airily, tucking her wand back behind her ear.

 _I hope so Lovegood. I really do._ Draco tucked her head under his chin, and soon he heard the light snores coming from the petite girl and he smiled to himself. _These girls are making me soft._ Draco thought wryly, his mind drifting to Hermione, feeling sleep ready to claim him, he carefully lifted Luna as he stood and went to tuck her back into her hammock, wrapping her into her blanket; he was about to find a space on the floor when Luna's tiny fist held onto his sleeve tightly. Giving into the idea that Lovegood even whilst she was asleep wasn't going to let him sleep on the floor, Draco climbed into the spacious hammock with her. Luna's fair features peaceful as she slumbered away. Her white blonde eyelashes fluttering lightly in her sleep. _They may be making me soft, but I would kill for any one of them._ Draco thought as sleep claimed him, where he dreamt of a better world, one filled with images of Hermione.

...

October 29th

"You and Theo still not talking?" Blaise asked as he plopped down onto the couch next to Ginny. Whose knees were drawn to her chest, her eyes the only thing he could see. Blaise could not for the life of him understand why for the better part of the month, Ginny and Theo had avoided one another. Theo slept in Draco's bed in the attic most nights since the blonde had only been home a handful of nights since he had been given his orders to stay at Hogwarts.

"No." Ginny grumbled as she leaned back, hands still wrapped around her legs.

"Dressed like that, I don't see how he's staying away," Blaise winked. Ginny frowned. She was in a faded orange t-shirt that she had borrowed from Bill that was a few inches above her knees when she stood up, and black leggings.

"Nothing is sexy about this outfit." Ginny scoffed.

"You've got the whole tousled hair, which is very attractive. Only thing not so nice on you, Red, is those dark circles. When was the last time you had a full night's sleep?" Blaise asked her, putting a finger under her chin and tilting her face in his direction. A worried expression on his face, as he gently stroked her jaw with his thumb.

"I don't remember," Ginny said absentmindedly. "Did you talk to Daphne when you went to school today?"

"Yea." Blaise dropped his hand onto the couch and sighed, Ginny shifted to face him, leaning her head into her hand and propping it on top of the couch, tucking her legs under her.

"And?"

"It's complicated." Blaise said, rubbing his temples and closing his eyes.

"Simplify it."

"I tried to have a serious conversation, but as per usual Daphne is too damn well stubborn."

"Stubborn?" Ginny quirked an eyebrow.

"She is convinced that the Dark Lord will win the war, so she's pretending to be a good Pureblooded girl and feigning the dumb blonde act. She doesn't want to risk Astoria's safety by doing anything reckless."

"What exactly did you tell her?" Ginny asked curiously.

"I told her that I loved her," Blaise barked out a harsh laugh, "Right now her family is bordering on the edge of the dark and she can't risk being with me, defecting even though she isn't a Death Eater and being on the good side."

"That sounds painfully black and white," Ginny whispered.

"Pardon?"

"A simple and black and white way of looking at things, nothing is that simple. She's scared. She has her family to think about as well, and to her she probably only sees one outcome right now because she's blinded by fear."

"Wouldn't you be?" Blaise growled, growing defensive of Daphne. To Ginny it simply didn't make sense, what Daphne had told him sounded like excuses because the girl was afraid.

"I already am, remember, love? Daily I am afraid, the difference is I try not to let it cripple me. I try to overcome it." Ginny said drolly.

"Red." Blaise sighed, his eyes tired when he looked at her, slumping into the couch. Then something similar happened to her and she felt herself melting into Blaise's eyes, the dark irises swirling before her.

...

 _"Daph." Blaise moaned as he slid his hand up her back and into her hair. The honey blonde, sharp blue eyed eyed girl smirked at him before pressing her lips to his._

 _Daphne had her legs wrapped around Blaise's waist, one hand down his trousers stroking his length. Her skirt bunched around her hips, her robes discarded on the floor, and her shirt unbuttoned. He bra was pulled down below her breasts where Blaise's other hand was toying with her taut nipple. Pressing her up against the wall._

 _"You know something?" Daphne asked breathily._

 _"You're head over heels for me?" Blaise grinned into their kiss._

 _"Who knows," Daphne teased, smiling in satisfaction when Blaise stilled in his ministrations for a moment as his body tensed as he came._

 _"Then what?" Blaise asked, Daphne removed her hand from his unbuckled trousers and wrapped her arm around his neck, arching into his touch when he palmed her breast, kissing breathy kissed down the side of her neck._

 _"I want this." Daphne said honestly._

 _"What?" Blaise paused, nipping at her shoulder._

 _"When all this is over. No matter how it turns out. I...Salazar I can't believe I'm saying this. I want you." Daphne bit her lip, her head back against the wall._

 _"I love you." Blaise responded immediately. Eyes wide with surprise, Daphne's legs fell from his hips, almost falling when she put her feet back on the ground._

 _"Wh-" Her blue eyes were beginning to water, her hands fisting tightly into his shirt fabric._

 _"I love you. I'm probably not going to say it very often, and I sure as hell won't be romantic all the time, if at all." Blaise pressed his forehead softly against hers, eyes locked on hers, and she could see the genuine emotion that he usually kept under lock and key._

 _"Blaise." Daphne whispered, Blaise gently took one of his hand off of her waist and pulled her black lace bra up and over her breasts once more. Then he took to buttoning her shirt. Daphne wasn't sure if it was because he was putting up a barrier between the two of them or if he was saying that she meant more to him that just sex._

 _"I get that your family isn't involved in the war directly. That if you officially become mine then it will be a public statement that you support the Dark Lord and then your family would be pulled into all of this. I know you said that you don't want them involved in any of this. It's just- I can't bear to see you engaged to some other man someday and have to marry him because of all the stupid Pureblood expectations." Blaise growled at the end, Daphne reached up and tucked one of his dark curls behind his ear. Her hand then coming to rest on his dark cheek._

 _"I love you, too." Daphne confessed with a watery smile, a single tear rolling down her fair cheek._

 _"What are we going to do, love?"_

 _"I don't know, Blaise. I don't know." Daphne cried, showing the most amount of raw emotion she had to anyone._

...

Ginny's hand flew to her pounding head and when she cracked open an eye, Blaise was staring at her gobsmacked. Fury filled his eyes quickly. In a second, he grasped a fistful of the front of her shirt and pulled her toward him so there only a few inches between them. Ginny could feel his hot breath of the side of her face.

"Mind explaining how the fuck you did that, Red?" Blaise snarled.

"What just happened?" Ginny asked confused, "was that real?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Ginevra." Blaise's expression grew dangerously cold, his dark eyes empty and a sinking feeling grew in the pit of her stomach.

"Honest, Blaise. I swear. I have no idea how that happened," Ginny swore, placing a cautious hand on Blaise's shoulder. The dark skinned Italian's gaze darted to her hand briefly before returning to her face, narrowing his eyes.

"No one should be able to do what you just did, Red. Theo, Draco and I...our brains are practically impenetrable. We would go insane before you would be able to do what you just did. Which would make any attempt to do it pointless because all of the information would be inadmissible." Blaise drawled, interest growing on his face as confusion grew on hers. "There is no way you're that good, especially if you don't know that you're doing it." When Ginny didn't react, Blaise's eyebrow rose in disbelief.

"Can you please explain to me what the hell you're on about?" Ginny demanded. Then the simple answer that had been staring her in the face this whole time fell from his lips. As soon as he said it, all the pieces fell into place and she couldn't believe she hadn't figured it out before.

"Red. You're a natural Legilimens."

* * *

 **Dun dun dun. I hope you liked this chapter :D. I'll update Promise and Fall Through Time on schedule hopefully this week. I am trying I promise. It is a little hectic right now, so I may or may not update according to the schedule, though I will try. In any event you'll probably get the chapters as soon as I can update.**

 **I tried writing smut properly for the first time in the mini Promise update and I kind of want to both be like yea I tried something new and hide under a rock because not really confident that it was any good.**

 **I changed the rating for this story btw, because it is kind of gory and it may get worse (probably to be honest) in the future. I'm not purposefully going to try and make anyone uncomfortable, but there is so much death and pain that happens during war, and I want to properly try and convey that.**

 **Anyways, I really hope you liked it! Love you so, so much x**

 **\- Indieblue xx**

 **P.S. Theo and Ginny to come next chapter, all the feels, come prepared. ;p**


	7. I Missed You

**First I want to start by saying, we now have 10 followers on this story, that may not seem like a lot to a bunch of people, but for me I'm just insanely grateful anyone is reading this story. This story has a special place in my heart and I'm glad that people are enjoying it.**

 **To get my mind off something that's happening later, I managed to write an insane amount between last night and today. So I'm updating a day early!**

 **This chapter is focused mainly on Ginny and Theo with a dash of Harry and Hermione friendship feels at the end.**

 **I hope I did my job and properly gave you all the feels in this chapter...which may have some smut in it. Which I've said before is all new to me so I'm sorry if it's baad.**

 **chic. geek. fangirl. freak : I'm SO glad you liked the last chapter, I feel almost like I'm writing this story for you and I sometimes to be honest, which isn't a bad thing. Also yepp you were definitely right about Little Red. Your wild guess paid off ;). Also I'm nervous/excited to write the scene at Malfoy Manor, for the most part I'm trying to stick to the canon events in terms of the trio whilst adding my own spin to the whole thing. We've got a little while yet before that happens. You're pretty freaking amazing :D**

 **I'm trying to figure out from whose perspective I'm going to write the majority of the next chapter since I do want to do some stuff about the Order but I think I may focus a bit more on Gwendolyn and that kind of side of things, not too sure. Any suggestions would be amazing! Now onto the chapter, I've rambled long enough I think.**

 **Please leave a review letting me know what you think.**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling and only the storyline is mine.**

* * *

"A Legilimens?" Ginny exclaimed disbelievingly, "you're messing with me right?"

"No...what you just did. The Dark Lord himself couldn't do that. You weren't even trying. To be fair my some of my walls were down," Blaise said seriously.

Ginny pulled her knees to her chest, propping her chin on them. "Is that what happened with Theo a few weeks back?"

"No wonder he's been avoiding you," Ginny flinched at his words and noticing how harsh it had sounded he quickly tried to make it better, "I mean he had to do horrible things and I'm guessing you saw some of that. He's probably scared." Blaise put a hand on her shoulder in comfort.

"So what do I do...about this," Ginny frowned pensively, Blaise looked a bit at loss for words.

"Honestly, I suggest you learn how to use it. You don't have that many people to practice on, I sure as hell don't want you rifling around in my head. Dray may lose it if you even suggest it and Theo...well, that would be the epitome of complicated." Ginny raised an eyebrow and Blaise continued, "he's trying to protect you, and letting you see what those Monsters- including himself in his mind, is a far cry from doing that."

"Do you know if he's coming home tonight?" Ginny asked.

"He is, actually. Wait what time is it?" Blaise queried, twisting his body on the couch to peer at the kitchen wall clock. "It's six. He said to expect him around nine, which means you have just about three hours to kill."

"Thanks, Blaise. Sorry I-"

"Entered my mind without my permission? Sure no problem. Don't do it again," Blaise smiled, but she could see the hardness in his eyes. Self preservation was definitely kicking in _. Blaise may consider me family, but I doubt he even lets Draco or Theo see into the dark, dusty corners of his soul. Me accidently seeing that memory has unsettled him far more than he's willing to let on._

"It won't happen again," Ginny tucked one of his curls behind his ear and hopped off the couch, padding into her bedroom. "Oh and Blaise," She turned to face him, one hand on the doorframe, the other at her side.

"Yes, Red?"

"Make sure to put locking charms on the entrance to your room, oh and the one to the roof as well," She smiled before entering her room, gently closing the door behind her.

"I know what that Old coot Dumbledore was saying now that one time," Blaise grinned as he recalled a day that he passed by Dumbledore remarking on how sometimes they sorted students too early _. Red would definitely classify as a bit of a Slytherin now for sure._ Blaise thought proudly, getting up to fix himself a glass of Firewhiskey. _If I am going to get the feeling that Red left behind on her way out of my brain, I'm going to need to down at least half a bottle. I should probably take the bottle with me, cast the locking charms, and then drink to my heart's content. Sounds like a plan_ , Blaise shrugged as he squatted and opened one of the bottom kitchen cabinets.

Grabbing a half empty bottle towards the front, he stood back up, kicking the door shut with his foot.

 _Who would've thought that Red was a Legilimens, a darn good one. With enough practice she could probably slip inside anyone's mind without them knowing it._

Blaise grabbed a clean glass from one of the cabinets above the sink and bottle in one hand, glass in the other he made his way to his room. _This ought to be an interesting night_.

...

Ginny tried to stay awake; doing everything in her power to do so. After she left Blaise she nervously paced back and forth in her room, where for some strange reason she decided to re-arrange all the furniture.

Now the Queen sized bed was facing the window and window seat, with just enough room to the right of the bed for the bathroom door; which opened inwards anyways so that wasn't really a problem. The dresser was next to the window and Ginny moved the armchair into the corner of the room, to the right as you entered the door. Her desk was now facing the door, with just enough room behind it for her to slip easily into her chair.

Ginny had also cleaned up all the dirty clothes that she had haphazardly strewn about the room. She paused when she realised she was sweeping by hand. She pulled her wand from behind her ear; a habit she had picked up from Luna, and with a few waves and flicks the room was spotless.

Looking at the clock she saw that she still had an hour and a half. _How in Merlin's name did I do all that and I still have that much time left? I'm going to take a shower._

Ginny headed into the bathroom, not bothering to shut the door. She turned the water on, and fiddled with the tap until she managed to get the water to the temperature she wanted; hot, not too hot that it burned her skin, but hot enough to melt away some of her anxiety.

Ginny stripped out of her clothes painstakingly slow, her muscles were sore from all the training she had been doing every day for the past two weeks to keep herself occupied.

She left them in a heap on the floor and pulled aside the white plastic shower curtain, and stepped into the tub one step at a time. _Shower then soak in the tub for a little bit, sounds swell, time to rest these aching muscles a little bit._

Ginny languidly shampooed and then conditioned her hair, leaving the conditioner in and swirling her hair into a bun on top of her head. _My hair is starting to break due to the lack of attention, I have nothing better to do whilst I soak, might as well let repair itself whilst I do._

She lathered herself quickly and efficiently, ignoring the tightness of her muscles around her shoulder blades as she scrubbed at her back. Stepping under the hot spray she washed all the suds off, and when she was done she let the water go down the drain before she blocked it, letting the tub fill up. She grabbed some vanilla oils and let some run out under the flowing water. She waited until the tub was three quarters full before turning off the water and gently sinking into it. _Much better_.

...

At the same time the last occupant of the house had returned a little bit early. He hesitated by Ginny's door before shaking his head and heading towards the attic entrance. _Shit. It's locked. I'm going to kill Blaise in the morning. I could try the roof, but if this one is locked then so is that one. I'll just sleep on the couch...which is missing. Why is the fucking couch...Blaise_. Theo growled ferociously, internally cursing him for giving him no choice but to sleep in Ginny's room. _I could sleep on the floor- dammit what is wrong with me. Red is...Red is...I guess I'll just have to suck it up._

After pacing back and forth the living room in deliberation for a few minutes, Theo threw his hands in the air. He was now hovering outside her-their door. Clenching his jaw, he reached forward and felt the cool brass under his skin as he twisted the knob and opened the door.

...

Ginny had heard footsteps outside her door and decided to cut her bath short, she leaned her head back in the water and washed out most of the conditioner, quickly standing up so she could drain the water out. She leaned down to pull the plug out and when she stood up she could feel his eyes on her. She spun around, splashing water around. She was so stunned that he was actually there, she forgot all about her nudity. Which Theo had no problem noticing.

Ginny didn't utter a word as she squeezed the water out of her hair with her hands. Theo stepped into the bathroom doorway, there was a dirt stain on his cheek, and his clothes were filthy and covered in dried mud. He kicked off his boots, pieces of dirt falling off and landing around the bathroom floor. Not breaking eye contact he pulled his shirt over his head. Throwing it on the ground next to her pile of discarded clothes as he stepped closer and closer. Almost like a predator seeking its prey.

The closer his proximity got, the more aware Ginny became of her nudity. She had only been completely naked in front of Theo twice and both times had been in the dark. Ginny flinched as the last of the water circled the drain, making a large sucking sound as it went down.

"Ginny," Theo murmured. _He never calls me that, is he going to break up with me, then why is he stripping. Why is he looking at me like that? Dammit._

"Theo?" The voice that came out was more scared and ragged than she thought it would be.

"Can I-" Theo stopped right in front of the tub, his hand extended as if to touch her cheek, but he couldn't bring himself to be the one to close the distance.

Ginny didn't answer him, she leaned forward and nestled her cheek against his hand, which had become rough from the dirt and whatever Macnair had him do this evening.

"You're clean. I'm dirty." Theo said quietly, his blue eyes breaking away from hers as he began to pull away from him. _He's talking about a lot more than that and we both know it._

"If you're dirty, I'm dirty too," Ginny growled, gruffly pulling his hand until it smeared across her upper chest by her collarbone. "So don't give me that bullshit and try to run away."

"I'M A MONSTER." Theo bellowed, yanking his hand away and delving them both into his hair and then behind his head as he looked at her.

"Theo-"

"You...you saw. I'm a monster," Theo said blankly, but Ginny could see right through him.

"Get in the tub," Ginny commanded.

"Pardon?"

"You heard me, get in the tub. First we're going to wash all of that off of you and get you clean and then we're going to talk. Really talk. Otherwise we might as well quit here," Ginny sniffed, rubbing her nose with the back of her hand.

"I-"

"Just get in the fucking tub," Ginny snarled, turning back on the shower, it hit her head on and the dirt began to wash away.

Theo wordlessly removed his pants, when he got to his boxers he hesitated.

"That's not what this is about, and I've been standing naked in front of you for a while now. So no need to be shy,"

"I don't know if I can control myself, Ginny," He admitted honestly.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, but right now...this is the longest conversation we've had pretty much all month."

Theo couldn't deny that as much as he would have liked to, so he hooked his thumbs on either side of his hips and tugged his boxers down. Ginny examined him and stepped back in the tub to give him room to get in. Theo stepped in under the spray and Ginny drew the shower curtain.

Ginny ran her hands over his shoulders helping clean the dirt off of him. His head was bowed forward and he was watching her under half closed eyes.

When his body was clean of the dirt, Ginny turned him around and started massaging shampoo into his hair.

"We can talk now...if you want."

"Why did you run away?" Ginny whispered, her fingers still in his hair as he turned back around.

"You know why,"

"You don't need to be ashamed of anything when it comes to me, Teddy," Ginny sighed, shivering when he put his hands on her lower back and pulled her flush against him. Tingles ran through her body when her nipples brushed against his chest before her breast came into full contact with his skin.

"I know it's just...if I can't forgive myself how can I even begin to expect you too, Red?" Theo asked softly.

"The same way I know you'd forgive me if we'd switched roles. I was there Theo. I could feel every emotion you did. At no time were you enjoying it. You were sick to your stomach. If you enjoyed it even half as much as that savage did then it would be a different story, but you didn't. As long as you don't enjoy it and you try as hard as you can to avoid doing it; then we'll always be good." Ginny said firmly. Theo tilted his head back so the suds wouldn't get into his eyes. His curls heavy with water. When he looked down at her again she could feel it in the air. The rift between them was getting smaller and smaller and she could almost touch the seams that were knitting themselves back together.

"I'm sorry I avoided you for so long, Red."

"I'm sorry I invaded your privacy," Ginny mumbled, lowering her eyes. She didn't know how she did it and Blaise told her she needed to hone her skills; but she wasn't sure she wanted to.

"Well I guess I'm going to have to get over it since you need to practice on someone,"

"What?" Ginny's head snapped up to look at him.

"This is probably going to be difficult and I can't promise I won't avoid you for a day or two after, but Blaise and Draco are out of the equation, and I'd rather have you poking around in my head, than not having you here at all. At the same time I'll help teach you Occumencly, that way your mind will be protected from others trying to get in."

"Well that would be awful nice of you," Ginny teased lightly, knowing how serious what he was offering to do for her was.

"You promise you won't think less of me?" Theo asked, his expression open and vulnerable. Ginny pulled him down to sit in the tub, and she straddled his hips, his eyes darkened slightly as her core brushed against his length.

"I promise Theo. As long as you don't enjoy what that man makes you do, I will never think less of you. No matter what." Ginny swore, leaning down, grasping the sides of his face gently as she brushed her lips against his. Theo laid his flat palms across her back and pulled her closer.

"I love you, Red," He said as he caressed his lips with his, his eyelids fluttering shut. Ginny smiled happily, he didn't say it very often, which made it all the more special when he did.

"I love you too, Teddy," Ginny breathed against his lips as his warm smell filled her nostrils. This is where I belong, in his arms.

One of Theo's hands moved to rest on her ribs, stroking up and down, leaving a faint trail of goosebumps as he did. Neither of them seemed to care that the shower was still going, the water moving over their bodies, in between them, across their backs, Ginny felt the water drops falling on her eyelashes and she grinned when Theo growled and his hand moved in between them to knead her breast.

"I missed you, Red," Theo grinned crookedly.

"I'm sure you did," Ginny panted, nipping his bottom lip and his other hand moved into her hair. She gasped loudly when his fingers moved to roll her taut nipple between them.

Ginny smirked into their heated kiss when she moved her hand down his body until she reached his length. He hissed when she grasped it and started moving her hand back and forth torturously slow.

"Two can play at that game, Red," Theo moaned, slipping his hand down until it reached her already wet core, his index finger entering her slowly digit by digit. Ginny rubbed her thumb over his head, and then quickened her pace slightly. Theo matched her by slipping another finger inside her and pumping in and out of her.

"Teddy," Ginny threw back her head, her thighs quivering against him as she moved even quicker. Raking her nails down his back with her other hand, biting her lip. Theo moved his mouth so it was on the side of her neck, sucking down as he moved in and out of her faster.

"Beautiful," he breathed hotly against her neck.

Theo was doing everything in his power to hold out until she came first. Which from her quick light pants would be soon, his thumb started to rub against her clit and from there it was only a matter of time. She felt it building in her lower abdomen before she cried out, coming all over his hand. He didn't even have time to be smug before he followed her over the edge, spurting all over her lower abdomen.

"Remind me to fight more often," Ginny laughed breathily, kissing him as the water washed them clean.

"I don't think we'll have a problem with that." Theo leaned back to look at her, he never knew how she managed it, but she always tasted of mint chocolate and he could never get enough.

"We should get to bed," Ginny whispered, shifting so she was lying against him fully, her head resting on his shoulder. His hands were thrown across her back casually.

"Can we stay here for a little bit longer?"

"As long as you want, we are wasting water at this point, but I mean..."

"Fine, but after we dry off, I forbid you to get dressed."

"You forbid me do you?" Ginny laughed, turning to nip his skin lightly.

"Yepp,"

"Merlin, it's good to have you back, love."

"I'll have to remember to thank Blaise after I hex him in the morning,"

"How'd you guess?"

"I'm a good guesser, knowing him he probably grabbed a bottle of Firewhisky on his way up."

"Probably,"

"We're going to have to talk about you going back to Hogwarts," Theo said reluctantly after a few moments of silence. The only sound the running water hitting their bodies and the bottom of the tub.

"My friends need me,"

"I know,"

"I'll come back to you, I promise," Ginny pulled back to look at him, her thumb stroking along the bottom of his jaw.

"You better," He threatened, turning his head to kiss the inside of her palm.

"Always,"

...

 **October 31st**

Harry had been a bit distant since she had told him about Draco. Today even more so. It was the anniversary of his parent's death, and he was in a sombre mood. She sat in the entrance of the tent watching him stare out into the distance from his seat on the tree trunk.

 _Enough is enough. I gave him space but really, I didn't murder someone or betray him. Though he may see me not telling him as a form of betrayal. Ron certainly would._ Hermione snorted. _I would be consorting with the enemy. I think Harry is more hurt than anything that I didn't tell him. I...there was never a good time. Especially after what Draco was forced to do. How could I tell him that Draco never wanted to hurt anyone? He would ask how I knew that, and that would've put us both in danger. Especially since Harry's mind is still kind of open to You-Know-Who's. I took a huge risk telling him the other day. It's a good thing that that is probably the last thing on 'The Dark Lord's' mind._ Hermione bit her lip, closing the book in her lap, placing it carefully out of the way and standing up. She brushed off her butt in case there was any dirt as a habit and strolled over to Harry's side.

His eyes were closed and sensing her presence they snapped open and her warm brown eyes met his bright green ones.

"We need to talk,"

"The last time you said that you told me you're in a relationship with the person responsible for Dumbledore's death," Harry said calmly, shifting to face her, crossing his arms across his chest, "what is it this time? Don't tell me, you and Snape are best friends,"

"That's not fair and you know it," Hermione frowned. "I couldn't tell you. To be honest I was going to wait until after the War was finished to tell you at all."

"Who knows how long that's going to be, it could be another year, or longer!" Harry exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.

"I know. I didn't want to distract you. It's not like I expected you do bake me a congratulatory cake or anything, but I wanted you to at least try and hear me out." Hermione recalled how he had shut down after she had uttered the sentence that had changed everything. Aside from Ginny, Harry was the only person she had told about her and Draco. Even though his reaction had stung, it had felt like a weight lifted off of her shoulders when she told him. _Right now I've told everyone closest to me, Ronald is going to need to work his way back into my good books. If he even says anything bad about Draco, I'll hex him until he apologises._ Hermione scowled, _at this point I don't care what Ron thinks._

"Ok...I'm listening," Harry sighed, pushing his glasses back further onto the bridge of his nose as he looked up at her expectantly, fiddling with the drawstring for the hood of his grey jacket.

"You were convinced he was a Death Eater-"

"I was right," Harry interrupted, Hermione narrowed her eyes before continuing.

"So I started following him on my own. I was exhauted one time and he caught me. I didn't have the cloak or map you see. He confronted me about it, asked me what I was doing, and his sleeve slipped and I saw it."

"What did Malfoy do?" Harry frowned, his interest piqued.

"He tried to cover it up but it was too late. It was his eyes though. That's what changed everything. He was scared, ashamed, and he attempted to hide that by sneering and calling me a Mudblood."

"He did-"

"I noticed then that he hadn't done it all year." Hermione cut Harry off before he went off on a tangent. His anger softened slightly at that. "There was no malice in his voice either, and I don't know what made me do it, he was talking and his words were jumbling together and none of it reflected how he was feeling. So I grabbed his shirt and pressed my lips to his. It was chaste, it didn't last for more than a couple seconds, but it was enough to shut him up," Hermione smiled fondly. "I don't know what possessed me to do it, but the look on his face was worth it. Then I left him there."

"You just...left him there?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Yupp. He purposefully avoided me for a full two weeks before we talked again. He demanded to know why I hadn't told 'Saint Potter'. I said I'd tell him if he told me why he took the mark when it was obvious he didn't want to. He used glamour charms on it after our first encounter by the way,"

"Go on," Harry was leaning forward, Hermione was glad that he was actually openly listening to what she had to do.

"After that we both seemed to just make excuses to bump into each other, and we didn't talk about his task, his parents, our friends. Until we kissed again. That changed everything. You remember I was upset about Ron and Lavender?"

"Yea...speaking of, when did that change?"

"Later that night, after you left. Malfoy found me. We ended up talking and he said Ron was 'an idiot that couldn't tell his arse from his head if he wanted.' At first I was irritated but then he spent the next hour trying to make me feel better in his own way. It was the first time I had seen him genuinely smile...that's when it happened I think...that's when I started to fall for him."

"Then you kissed him?"

"He kissed me,"

"So I'm guessing you weren't a-"

"Filthy little Mudblood? No, I hadn't been for a while I found out later."

"And here we are," Harry nodded thoughtfully.

"And here we are," Hermione repeated in agreement.

"Ginny has a boyfriend doesn't she?"

"How-"

"I could tell. It was hard to even though I knew her so well."

"Draco is helping the others at Hogwarts," Hermione blurted out, she hadn't meant to tell him, but she didn't want to give Harry the chance to guess who Ginny's boyfriend was. From what Ginny had told her the last time she saw her, her and Theo were in a similar situation; with the exception that Theodus Nott was a true monster, whereas Lucius was misguided and when he saw the error of his ways it was too late.

"What?" Harry said, his mouth hanging open as his eyes widened.

"With the Carrows, he's helping the best he can. He helped after Neville, Luna and the others got caught trying to steal Godric Gryffindor's sword." Hermione whispered.

"If he really as different as what you're telling me then I'm willing to give him a chance when we see him again." Harry said slowly after a few long moments.

"That's all I can really ask, Harry." Hermione smiled gratefully, moving forward to hug him, he wrapped his arms around her as she rested her chin on top of his head.

"I'm glad you're here, Mione. I don't think I could do this by myself...especially not today," He admitted quietly.

"I'm just happy that I can help, Harry. I love you, you know,"

"Don't let Malfoy hear you say that," he teased lightly.

"Trust me, when this War is over I think he'll be happy enough to actually become friends with you," Hermione chuckled.

"That will be the day," Harry laughed.

 _When this War is over and I can wake up next to Draco every morning. That's what I want. I want him safe, and away from all those sick, sadistic people. I want him with me and happy. I'll even try and make peace with Lucius, and properly meet Narcissa. Hopefully Bellatrix gets locked up for good as well as the rest of the Death Eaters, we defeat Voldemort. Then I hope Harry can find happiness, true happiness, and get to know his Godfather. Merlin knows he deserves it. One day all of this will be over, and we'll all make it over to the other side. That may sound naïve, but I wholly and truly hope that we all make it out of this alive. That I can see Draco again. Hermione thought as the chilly air danced through her curls._

* * *

 **How did you like it? Let me know :p**

 **Right like I said I have a general idea of what I want to do for the next chapter but not too, too sure.**

 **I really hope you liked it, and I'll have another chapter for you next week :")**

 **-Indieblue xx**

 **P.S. I love all you people that read any of my stories. Seriously I have 90+ followers reading Promise, I think I may just burst of happiness if I reach 100. I hope you guys have a lovely evening and all that shizz :D**


	8. November

**First I want to start off by saying that this chapter is insanely long. Suuuper Long, but I wanted to get to Ginny leaving and returning to Hogwarts. Also want to apologise because there is smut in this chapter...but it is the last bit of smut for a while, since there is going to be a lot more action, tension, and overall 'violence' coming up. SO buckle up and get ready. Don't say I didn't warn you.**

 **I love Theo so much, I can just mold him however I like, and I really just love the idea of Draco, Theo and Blaise being the Slytherin trio. Does anyone else feel me?**

 **So there are massive time skips in this chapter, but after this it is going to slow down a lot. Again, I wanted to get Ginny to Hogwarts. Anyone in particular that you want her to interact with outside of our lovely trio of boys, Luna and Neville, I would be open to suggestions.**

 **Chic. Geek. Fangirl. Freak :Thanks lovie xx I really hope you like this chapter. Somehow I really liked the idea of a lot of Blaise in this chapter. Sooo I may have just a teeeeny bit of him in this chapter. (A lot of Blaise. All the Blaise). I'm sooo glad you liked the Harry and Hermione scene, I wanted at least one of her best friends to be supportive of her relationship. Outside of Ginny. Really though, you're brilliant, love x.**

 **Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling and only the storyline is mine.**

* * *

 **November 7th**

 **Room of Requirement, Seventh Floor**

"Fucking hell," Blaise swore as he entered the room of requirement. "What is that foul smell?"

"That would be the smell of burning flesh," Neville grimaced as he moved through the rows of tents, sleeping bags, and hammocks up to the front of the room to greet Blaise.

"I see you've recovered nicely," Blaise nodded, "now what was so urgent that you risked sending me your Patronus?"

"It's bad," Neville said grimly, gesturing for Blaise to follow him as he walked to a cream tent at the back. "I'm warning you. It's extremely graphic. You thought my back was bad? Wait till you see hers." Neville hissed as he pushed aside the tent flap and stepped inside. _Hers?_ Blaise thought in mild interest.

 _Longbottom has no idea the horrors I've seen. He's probably exaggerating. In my personal experience Gryffindors tend to do that._ Blaise scoffed as he followed Neville inside. Blaise was pleased to know that there were extension charms and it was much larger than it looked.

The walls of the tent matched the cream exterior. On the lower level at the front there was a small oak table with a yellow and midnight pair of chairs, to his right was a multi coloured hammock of various shades of blue. _Nice paintings_. The walls had small murals littering them, the attention to detail was staggering and Blaise nodded in appreciation.

"Blaise what the fuck are you doing looking around, did you bring what I need?" Draco's voice carried from the back.

All Blaise could see from this angle was that Draco and Neville were standing in front of the kitchen table on the left side of the upper level, a low bed with strange ornaments and trinkets hanging off of the lamp next to it were on the right side. The sheets were a florescent orange colour. Blaise could just make out a palette and a pot filled with paintbrushes next to the bed on the floor.

Blaise quickly sprinted across the room, taking the four steps two at a time. He made a hard left and extended the vial filled with essence of Dittany towards his friend once he received it out of his pocket.

He was about to go look at the painting next to the bed when the body laying on top of the table caught his eye. _What the hell is th-_

Blaise entire world was shifted when he realised that was actually someone's back.

Large angry welts were raised all across it, huge blisters filled with yellow puss that looked about ready to burst covered the rest of her back. Those were resting on top of the layers of skin that had been burned off of her back. The edges looked slightly charred. A faded green sheet was thrown across her bottom and it covered until the back of her knees.

When he saw the long white blonde, crinkly hair that belonged to the head hanging off the side of the table, thrown upwards and over her head; that is what almost caused him to throw up. _Neville is one thing. He has a sharp tongue and he doesn't care what the Carrows do to him, but Luna...she's not even of age yet. She has never done anything to deserve anything like this. Not that Longbottom has, but how did they justify doing this._

"I think Alecto has a fucking back fetish," Draco snarled as Luna whimpered when he dropped Dittany across her back. "It's ok, sweetie. Just keep being brave for me, Luna. Ok, can you do that for me?" Draco asked softly.

Luna's head moved ever so slightly into a nod. "Neville can you using a cooling charm on her back, I need to go check on the painkillers I'm brewing,"

"Course," Neville nodded, taking out his wand and taking a deep breath before casting the spell. _When did Longbottom learn how to cast spells non verbally?_

"Blaise, come help me," Draco demanded over by the gas stove, where a cauldron sat over the low heat as Draco peered into it frowning.

"What do you need, mate?" Blaise asked as he glanced at Luna one last time before stepping around the kitchen table and joining Draco by the stove.

"I need you to cover for me with the Dark Lord tonight," Draco said under his breath.

"Are you bloody well mental? He is pissed off enough these days when things go 'well', you want me to march into home base, your lovely abode might I remind you, and tell him what? You didn't feel like coming to see him?" Blaise hissed vehemently.

"Tell him that I didn't feel well this evening, and that I will come and see him in the morning before classes." Draco said, his grey eyes not moving from cauldron.

"You really think that is going to end well?" Blaise deadpanned.

"If I leave now, Luna dies," Draco snapped his head up to look at Blaise. Fury and pain splayed across his features.

"Fine...alright. Ok." Blaise sighed, throwing his hands in the air. "If I die, I'm coming to haunt your ass. Tell Daphne I love her,"

"I will do," Draco smiled gratefully, "and if you die, I will willing let you haunt me."

"Good," Blaise turned to leave, pausing, his head lowered. "Details are set. Red is coming to Hogwarts at the start of December. She has a story and everything. Theo and her have been working on her...gift."

"How is that going?"

"How do you think?" Blaise scoffed, tapping his foot on the ground before moving off. "Take care of her, Longbottom. I actually like Lovegood."

"Will do, Blaise. You be careful." Neville said, his eyes locking on the dark Italian's. The corners of Blaise's mouth twitched upwards.

"Tsk tsk, listening to people's conversations is a bad habit, Longbottom."

"Get going, Blaise. Tell Theo he needs to have a reason to keep her out, and she needs to empty her mind!" Draco called over his shoulder.

"I got it." Blaise replied, jumping from the top level, making his way out of the tent.

 _I'm definitely going to need a drink tonight. If the Dark Lord is still as pissed as he was yesterday, he's going to be trying extremely hard to find out if I'm lying about Draco. I hope Red and Theo are having a better night that I'm about to._

...

 **Later that same night**

 **The Cottage**

Ginny sat cross-legged on the roof, staring at the moon and wondering what was going on with Professor Lupin. The cold night air cut through her thin cotton shirt, and navy blue shorts.

"You good?" Theo whispered in her ear as he joined her, wrapping a thick woollen blanket around both of them when he settled himself behind her.

"I didn't think you would want to talk to me after I managed to crack your wall slightly today. Guessing Blaise doesn't know you were Daphne's first kiss?" Ginny said sourly.

"So you were a little jealous," Theo laughed deeply. "You dated Dean Thomas for a while last year, if you remember. You have a history too, you don't see me getting jealous." Theo nuzzled his face into the curve of her neck, kissing her skin there lightly.

"Why not?" Ginny frowned. Ron was always jealous of guys that paid Hermione attention, I know Blaise gets extremely jealous. Dean was convinced I still had the hots for Harry and that used to bother him. So why does Theo never get jealous?

"Because I know that you're mine. We're it for each other. I'm never going to find someone to love as much as I love you."

"Awwww shucks, really? I wuve you too," Ginny said in a baby voice, twisting her face to look at him with a huge grin.

"I'm not going to say that mushy shit all the time. Don't get used to it," Theo grumbled, his blue eyes watched as she closed her eyes. Admiring how long her dark red eyelashes were.

"Are you sure you're ok with me going to Hogwarts in a couple weeks?"

"As long as you remember to stick by your story. Speaking of. Run it by me again." Theo requested, Ginny took one of her hands and rested it on his thigh under the blanket, moving her thumb back and forth.

"I don't see why I can't sneak in and just help out in the room of requirement."

"Ginny,"

"Fine. I don't remember anything from the past few months besides the last week. The last thing I remember was my brother's wedding."

"Why are they going to believe that?"

"Blaise plans on arranging for your Father and him to 'find' me when they are following one of their leads. Blaise will tell them he's going to perform Legilimency. Then tell them I'm telling the truth."

"I still think you don't need to go to the school."

"Sirius says he need ears besides you guys in Hogwarts. Some people are going to be more willing to talk to me than people they think are Death Eaters."

"And you want to help your friends."

"Yes."

"No matter what I say, I'm not going to change your mind, am I?" Theo sighed, burying his face in the side of her neck.

"No,"

Theo was quiet after that, silently pondering all the ways this could go terribly wrong. His Father might insist that they keep her for questioning, and torture answers out of her. He had already lost practically everyone else he loved. At any given time, him, Blaise and Draco were in danger of being exposed. He didn't want to have to worry about her as well; but part of the reason he loved her was her stubborn and feisty nature. _I'm just going to have to trust that they'll both pull it off when the time is ready._

...

 **November 10th**

Cold. It was always so cold. Most days she let the wolf in her take over, letting her human side drift by the wayside. She couldn't remember how long it had been since she had been here, but what she did know was the bigger creatures were killing each other one by one. Which meant there were less food; already one of the larger predators had started to stay out of fights with the others. Picking off small prey when it managed.

Not having any proper human contact for years had only aided her since she was dropped in this hell hole. It was easier to forget, not to feel, but to let her instincts keep her alive. Most of the beast were nocturnal, so she slept during the day, hidden away in bushes in high places. That way she was awake at night, vigilant and able to stay as far away from anything else that she could.

She wasn't sure why all these magical beasts had been dropped in here. If she had to guess, it was because of him. He wanted her to suffer, for some strange reason, he wanted her alive.

 _Water. Stream. Water. Thirsty_. The words repeated in her mind like a mantra. She bounded through the forest, listening all around her to see if anything was nearby. Satisfied that it wasn't she continued onwards. Dodging through the thick forest, the trees seemed to go on for miles. She faltered when she reached the edge of the forest, the trees thinned out and she had a clear look at the lake. The problem was it was a wide open area. There was no cover or protection. She also had to be careful of what lurked under the surface.

 _Water_. She pricked her ears up again, trying to hear if any threats were nearby. She only heard the normal sounds of the crisp wind rustling through the trees, and disturbing the water's surface. Her eyes darted around before she sprinted out of the forest. _Water quick. Quick. Back to safety_. She reached the water's edge, and it was then that she heard it. It's low growl, heavy breathing. _Drink quickly_. She lapped at the water, wetting her dry throat. She knew she couldn't risk drinking again anytime soon. It would be watching. She could hear it getting closer. _Need to leave_. She glanced up and she met it's yellow eyes about a hundred feet away, it's maw was dripping with blood from a fresh kill.

She spun, pushing off of the ground with her hind legs, running as fast as her legs could carry her. At first it didn't move, it did love the hunt. _Get to tree_. She bounded from the grass into the forest. It was moving now. Not wanting to risk it's prize getting away.

Quicker, quicker. Her muscles felt like they were on fire when she reached the tall oak tree. No time. Before she could think she shifted. Something that was becoming harder and harder to do as each day went by. She could almost feel its' hot breath down her neck, as she climbed up the wooden pegs she had dug into the tree. Quicker.

She was half way to her destination when she heard it stop at the bottom of her tree. It couldn't smell very well, it relied on sight and its other senses to hunt. She was lucky that it wasn't one of the other ones. She didn't know what any of them were. All she knew is what they were capable of doing to other creatures. She had seen it. She collapsed on the wooden platform. She had made a makeshift shack at the top of the trees. It had been an exhaustive task, that stretched over the first two weeks, she hadn't slept much then. Focusing on building shelter. After that unless she needed water, she stayed up here. _Find a way to catch water? Getting too risky._ It rained once a week. Like clockwork. Every seven days, at midday.

She shifted back into her other form, she would freeze if she didn't, her shelter may have a top, and three sides, but it didn't keep the cold fully out.

She walked around in a circle before curling up against one of the walls. Her ears perked as she tried to hear if it had left or not. She was relieved to find out that it was gone. _Close. Too close._ Her bright blue eyes looked out in front of her into the other tree, its' lush branches swaying gently in the night breeze.

 _I miss you, Theo_. She closed her eyes and darkness consumed her. She was comfortable in the dark. It was familiar.

...

 **November 18th**

Ginny clenched her eyes tightly, stretching her arms over her head. She curled her toes into the sheets. Her breath caught when she felt warm fingers lazily stroking her breast. Tweaking her nipple between them.

"Mornin'," The husky voice whispered next to her. Ginny smiled when lips pressed lightly against her neck.

"Morning," Ginny finally opened her eyes, turning her head to look at him. He had pulled back from her and was staring intently at her now.

"You want breakfast?" Theo asked, running his through his curls.

"Mmmm, but first..." Ginny smirked, rolling onto her side, hitching her leg over his hip.

"Red,"

Ginny kissed him then, deliberately rotating her hips, rubbing against his growing erection. Theo rolled onto his back, pulling her with him so she was laying on top of him. Ginny raised her hand into his hair, her lips caressing his, her tongue entering his mouth slowly, heat building inside her. Their kiss grew more heated, tongues battling for dominance, she nipped at his bottom lip, moaning when his hand moved between them, one of his fingers rubbing her clit. _Not right now_. Ginny put a hand on either side of his head, and pushed herself up, so she was straddling his waist. His eyes widened, as she cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Is that a challenge, Red?" Theo laughed.

"Maybe," She replied coyly. Theo sat up then, wrapping his arms around her. What she did next surprised him. She reached down and grabbed ahold of him, and guided him inside of her, he hissed as she slowly impaled herself on him. Ginny's head fell back as she gripped his shoulders, rotating her hips, clenching her inner walls around him. Theo groaned, his head moving ro her chest, his mouth claimed her left nipple. Sucking hard as she began to ride him, bouncing up and down on his shaft, his tongue and mouth working over her breasts. She dragged her nails down his back, and she felt the coil in her abdomen tightening.

"Theo," she moaned softly, clutching onto him for dear life as she moved. Theo buckled his hips up in time with hers.

Ginny pulled his head up by his hair, gasping as she kissed him, their movements less frantic now, slowly grinding against one another, one of his hands moved to palm her left breast, his thumb flicking over the taut bud. "Look at me," she whispered into their kiss, Theo leaned back, his blue eyes meeting hers. She moved up and down, teasing his orgasm out of him, he felt the need to bury himself in her, he rolled his hips forward just as she was coming back down. Ginny mewed, not breaking eye contact as she came, drawing Theo's own release from him.

"Good morning," Ginny giggled, kissing his nose.

"Good morning to you too, Red," Theo smiled, planting a kiss along her jaw. "I have to leave soon." He admitted tightly.

"School?" Ginny bit her lip.

"Yea. Something...bad happened the other day. I am not going to tell you, it will only make you worry and get upset. You can't do anything about it yet, so you need to be patient," Theo said, answering all of her questions before she could ask them.

"Fine. Draco is supposed to be coming back tonight right?"

"I'd prefer if you didn't ask me about my best mates whilst we're in bed, naked, with my cock still inside you,"

"Classy," Ginny rolled her eyes, kissing in between his eyebrows before rolling off of him, curling up into the sheets.

"Want me to make waffles?" Theo asked, a peace treaty for not telling her about what was going on at Hogwarts.

"That would be amazing. Wake me up when they're ready," Ginny mumbled, already nodding off.

"You sure are something, Red," Theo chuckled, kissing her head and then rolling out of bed. Grabbing some trousers and leaving the bedroom quietly.

"You look like you've had a good morning," Blaise smiled knowingly, sipping Firewhisky out of his teacup.

"Isn't it too early to be drinking?" Theo drawled, putting some water to boil on the stove, he bent down to rifle through the cupboard for flour.

"I would say it's too early for what you were just doing, but I'm always down for that kind of activity," Blaise wriggled his eyebrows.

"Trust me...I know," Theo said wryly, remembering the several occasions in which he had walked in on Blaise and Daphne in throes of passion by accident.

"Alecto is getting more bold with her punishments," Blaise noted dryly, he saw Theo stiffen and he knew why. "You haven't told her about Lovegood yet, have you?" Blaise made a noise in amusement, sipping his Firewhisky.

"No," Theo growled, his blue eyes cold as ice when they turned to regard his friend.

"She is going to find out, even with the potions, and dittany, Lovegood's back is healing slower than it should. Dray has a theory, and you know how he's been staying at the school more often to look out for her." Blaise drawled, smirking when Theo sighed, pulling out a bowl from one of the cupboards above the sink.

"He's grown quite attached to the quirky little bird, hasn't he?" Theo queried, frowning as he looked for some eggs.

"She is quite something. I can see why he likes her, she makes you forget that all this bullshit is happening to us," Blaise pointed out, staring into his teacup.

"For me, I see why her and Red are best friends," Theo smiled wistfully.

"Are those pancakes for everyone...or?" Blaise asked, peering into the kitchen as he watched Theo work.

"They're for Red. You can get off your ass and get to Hogwarts early for once, grab a meal in the Great Hall."

"It's not the same. Sure I'd like to have Breakfast with Daph...and even Pansy sometime, but it's so morbid and depressing. I like my mornings to be cheery, know what I'm saying?" Blaise raised his teacup, wriggling his eyebrows at Theo.

"You're ridiculous,"

"Ahhh, but you see, I make it all just that more interesting. What would you do without me?" Blaise winked. Getting up from the couch, and strode over into the kitchen, leaning against the counter opposite Theo.

 _I don't ever want to find out_. Theo thought grimly. Stopping his mixing, and turning to face Blaise.

"Promise me something," Theo said hesitantly. Crossing his arms over his bare chest.

"Anything brother," Blaise replied immediately.

"Take care of her during the meeting. The slightest indication that it is going to go South. You grab her and run. Run like hell and bring her back here,"

Blaise was silent for several long moments, that seemed to drag out, each second digging a hole of doubt into Theo. He already didn't like the plan, it hinged on how his Father was going to act, and he could be...unpredictable. Finally he spoke, "I will, but...if I do. You need to get Daphne out and bring her straight here. I'm not fucking kidding either. They may not know for sure how I feel about her, but they sure as hell will use her against me." Blaise put his teacup on the counter with a clatter.

"Of course, I swear I will, Blaise." Theo and Blaise shared a moment of understanding.

"How did we end up here?" Blaise said his thoughts aloud.

"I don't know, Blaise, but I sure as hell know that I want those bastards dead, or locked up." Theo grunted; he knew Blaise hadn't expected an answer, but when he met his friend's eyes, he knew. They both needed to vent a little.

"I'm going to get ready for school. You hurry up with those pancakes and kiss your woman, and get a move on. Otherwise you may as well call in sick...actually forget I said that. We have Defense today, and I am not fucking dealing with that incestuous bastard Amycus by myself. Draco's been roped into some task for the Dark Lord today to make up for missing out the other night." Blaise shuddered when he mentioned Amycus' name. There was a lot that he could tolerate, but he drew the line at incest.

"I hear you, tell Pansy to stop pining after Draco when you see her. If she doesn't get a grip on reality now, she's going to fucking lose it when she finds out about him and Granger."

"Do I have to? I kind of want to see her faint out of disbelief. Either way she's nowhere near as bad as she used to be." Blaise pointed out, picking up his teacup and downing the rest of its' contents.

"Just do it, Blaise," Theo chuckled.

"I was serious about Defense. I am never doing that alone again. Got me?" Blaise glared at Theo when he smiled naively at him.

"Whatever you say, _dear_ ,"

"Shove it up your ass, _darling_ ," Blaise rolled his eyes. Putting the teacup in the sink, and leaving the kitchen.

 _I definitely don't want to think about what it would be like without you._

...

 **November 23rd**

 **The Cottage**

"Theo put me down!" Ginny laughed, pounding on his back.

It was a sunny day, deceiving due to the fact that it was jarringly cold, but that didn't stop Theo from swinging Ginny over his shoulder and carrying her outside.

"Nope," He chuckled, spinning sharply in a circle.

"Theo!" Ginny cried, her eyes watering as the wind dried out her eyes.

"Yes, Red?"

"Please put me down," Theo halted, patting her back side before carefully putting her down.

Ginny's face was red because all of the blood that has rushed to it. She scowled openly when Theo wrapped her in his arms. They were both wearing several thick layers, and Ginny had predicted by the end of the week it was going to snow.

"I have something to tell you, I don't like keeping secrets from you, but..." Theo breathed in her scent deeply, kissing her cheek chastely.

"Is it about what happened at Hogwarts early this month?" She asked, nuzzling her face into chest.

"Lovegood was...hurt."

Ginny's breath caught in her throat _. Luna was hurt? My Luna? My innocent, quirky, loveable Luna? Disgusting, why anyone has ever been mean to her I will never understand. They often say that people make fun of things they don't understand_.

"Is she ok?" Ginny whispered, pulling back to look at him. His head was bowed as he refused to look at her.

"Draco and Longbottom have been looking after her, she's doing a lot better," Theo admitted honestly; he didn't think it was necessary to admit that she had almost died due to shock.

"So that's why he's been gone so much this month," Ginny nodded, the pieces of the puzzle falling into place.

"Why aren't you mad," Theo flinched when she raised her hand to touch his cheek.

"You knew I would be irrational and march straight into Hogwarts, to hex whoever did it." Ginny pondered.

"This is true," Theo nodded, grinning when she hit him playfully on the shoulder.

"I'm going to miss this," Ginny confessed, her ears burning red.

"What?"

"Being able to be with you like this, where we're free to be how we are," Ginny sighed, tiptoeing to kiss him on the lips quickly.

"I would say stay, but I know you have to do this," Theo mumbled against her lips, wrapping his arms around her lower back, lifting her onto the balls of her feet, and kissing her again.

"I need to fight to have this again. I want to fight for our future," Ginny breathed into the soft kiss.

"I kind of like the sound of 'our future',"

"Good, chances are you're stuck with me," Ginny said biting her lip.

"I can live with that," Theo replied, hugging her, almost as if when he let go she was going to disappear forever.

 _I need to do this. To protect my friends. Harry, Hermione and Ron are off doing what they need to. Draco, Blaise and Theo are constantly in danger and looking over their shoulders. Luna and Neville have been leading the others in resisting the malicious influences at Hogwarts. Not to mention Mum, Dad, Fred and George, Bill, Charlie and all the other Order members who are fighting back. I think it's high time I start doing some fighting of my own, I need to hex some people into their rightful places. When the opportunity provides itself, Theodus Nott is the first one I'm taking down._

...

 **November 25th**

 **Room of Requirement, Luna's Tent.**

Draco was dreaming of her again. This time it was a memory. One that filled him with conflicting emotions, and he tossed and turned, asleep and remembering that day. That fateful day where it all became a reality.

...

 _Granger kissed me the other night. I mean I kissed her back, but that doesn't change the fact that she was upset, and it was like taking advantage of her...or...ah fuck it, I don't know._ Draco grumbled internally, raking a hand through his hair as he walked down the corridor. Classes had ended about an hour ago, and to take his mind of all his impending tasks, he decided to take a walk. Which didn't help because instead of worrying about Dumbledore, or the Vanishing Cabinet; his mind was occupied by Hermione Granger.

 _I must be imagining things, that can't possibly be Granger walking towards me. No one comes to this side of the castle. Except me, and maybe horny people trying to find an abandoned classroom to shag in._

 _Nope, not imagining things_. Draco concluded when Hermione walked straight up to him, and yanked on his tie, pulling him down to be at eye level with her.

"You've been avoiding me," Hermione growled, Draco stared into her warm brown eyes, and saw concern filling them. He hadn't intentionally been avoiding her, it had just worked out that way.

"I haven't been avoiding you, how did you even find me?" He asked out of curiosity, gently prying her hands from his tie. Her hands are so much smaller than mine, he thought absently, not letting go of her hand.

"Fine. Well. Are we going to talk about, this, us, and whatever is going on here?" Hermione asked, frowning, as she tapped her foot impatiently.

"What's there to talk about, Granger?" Draco sighed, standing back up, unwittingly intertwining their fingers. "We can't be together. Not now."

"You mean because you're a Death Ea-" Hermione cut herself off when she saw the dark look cross over Draco's features.

"Yes." He replied coldly, moving to withdraw himself from her, but Hermione could sense deep down, that if she let him go now. That this was definitely going to be over. So she did the only thing she could think off. She let her bookbag drop the ground with a thud, she tightened her grip on Draco's hand, and then she reached out and pulled, hard, on his shirt lapel. Once more bringing him to her level, his eyes were wide with astonishment. Hermione leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. At first he was a stiff as a rock, unmoving as she caressed his lips with hers, but then he slowly began to kiss her back. He let go if her hand, and when she made a sound of protest, he grabbed her by the waist and picked her up. Walking over to the wall, and sinking down with his back to it. Hermione was straddling his waist, her skirt hiked up to her hips, her knees on either side of him.

Draco moved his hands into her hair, tangling his fingers in her soft curls.

Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck, lying against him, smiling into the kiss when he sucked on her bottom lip.

"Granger?" Draco whispered, kissing her softly a few more times before she decided to answer.

"Mmmm?" She hummed.

"Why haven't you run the other way yet?" Draco asked, Hermione rested her forehead against his.

"Honestly? No idea." Hermione shrugged, pecking kis lips once more. He tastes like mint.

"Maybe the brightest witch of our age isn't that bright after all. Wasting time with a sorry sod like me," Draco laughed harshly.

"Don't call yourself that, I want to try and make this work. Can we please try. You make me feel..."

Warm. Draco answered in his mind. She made him feel warm, as if they could do anything as long as they were together. _Which is a scary thought seeing as Granger and I have been friends for all five minutes._

"I'm still working that out, but whatever it is, I want to feel more of it," Hermione confessed sheepishly, Draco reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Well I guess it's settled then, we're going to...try?" Draco said uncertainly. He had never done this kind of thing before, despite what all the rumours that spread across said to the contrary. Sure he had kissed Pansy once or twice, but he hadn't felt anything when that happened.

"Yes, Draco. We're going to try," Hermione smiled, hugging him tighter.

...

Draco sat up groggily, rubbing his eyes. _Where am I? Right Room of Requirement...Luna?_ Draco looked over at the mattress next to his. Neville had offered to give him his own tent, but he insisted that he stay with Luna until her back was better. Last week he had stayed at home, Red was leaving and he wanted to spend as much time with her; time where he could be himself around her freely.

Draco rolled over to the small space between their mattresses and gingerly raised the bandage off of Luna's back. Her face was facing him, her arms stretched out on either side of her. Her hair was partially obscuring her slumbering features. In the dark Draco could barely make out what he was looking at. _I don't want to wake her, but I need to check and see if it got irritated last night when she was moving around. She said she was fine, and Longbottom whilst reluctant, believed her. Not me._ Draco pulled his wand out of his pyjama bottoms pocket.

"Lumos," he whispered, raising his wand to look at her back, his other hand keeping the bandage up. _It is a bit inflamed, but other than that, thankfully, it looks like it's healing. It is healing extremely slowly...probably because of all the dark magic Alecto dabbles in._

"Draco?" A sleepy voice murmured to his left, he glanced up and saw that Luna's eyes were cracked open slightly.

"Yes, sweetheart? Did I wake you?" He asked quietly.

"No. Sort of. It kind of itches." She yawned, closing her eyes as her whimsical voice answered.

"I'm going to put another cooling charm on it, and that should help,"

"Ok, Draco. I can see why Hermione loves you," Draco froze, turning to look at Luna. _There is no way she could know that..._

"Lu, how do you know that?" Draco whispered, trying to keep his voice even.

"Not sure, but I just had the sweetest dream," Luna mumbled before sleep claimed her again.

 _It couldn't be Legilimency, my mind is warded heavily, even when I'm sleeping. First Red is a prodigy Legilimens, and now Luna can see people's dreams? What is going on with these two?_

Draco sighed heavily, suddenly feeling highly fatigued. He swiftly cast the cooling charms on Luna's back, making sure to gently place the bandages back carefully.

"I hope that in a few days that Nott Senior buys it, then hopefully Red will be here soon," Draco muttered, rolling back over to his right onto his own mattress. I'm not going to get any more sleep tonight.

...

 **November 29th**

 **Transfiguration Classroom**

"Mr. Nott," McGonagall said sternly, tapping her finger against her desk.

"Yes, M'am?" Theo asked blankly, looking up from his parchment where he had been absently writing down his Transfiguration notes.

"See me after class,"

Theo narrowed his eyes, but didn't question it. He knew how insane all of the inhumane treatment at Hogwarts was making the older witch. She had complained to Severus several times when she had stomached her current distaste of him. He had waved it off, telling her that disciplinary action was Alecto and Amycus' job. Theo had infinite respect for McGonagall. Not only had she tried to speak up on their behalfs, she had supplies and snuck them up to the Seventh floor to give toNeville.

So when she asked him to stay afterwards he was mildly curious, if a bit hesitant.

"You wanted to see me, Professor?" Theo raised his eyebrows, adjusting his bag strap as he walked to the front of the class. Checking over his shoulder to see that the other students were already gone.

Draco was out doing something for the Dark Lord, and Blaise...Blaise was currently carrying out their plan.

McGonagall flicked her wand and the doors slammed shut.

"Muffliato," she said quietly, eyeing him as if he was an enigma that she was trying to crack.

"No offense, Professor. Locking the doors and putting silencing charms up isn't very reassuring." Theo frowned, casually slipping his hand into his robe pocket, grasping his wand firmly.

"No need to draw your wand, Theodore," McGonagall sighed, dropping into her hair, holding her face in her hands, before turning to look at him, one hand propping her up against her cheek.

"What is it that you want?" Theo asked warily.

"The truth,"

"The truth?"

"I want to know why you, Draco Malfoy, and Blaise Zabini are helping out the Order?" Her knowing eyes locked on his, Theo gritted his teeth together.

"Fucking Black,"

"I will not tolerate cursing," McGonagall clenched her jaw, her mouth set in a thin line.

"Sorry, how did you find out?"

"Mister Longbottom,"

"Dammit,"

"One more time and I will punish you, Mister Nott," Theo knew that after all he'd been through that shouldn't sound so frightening; but McGonagall had a certain air about her. Anyone with any brains at all knew that you did not mess with her.

"What do you want?"

"Excuse me?" McGonagall's eyes widened, her hand dropping to her desk, interlocking her fingers with her other hand.

"I know you aren't the type of person to hokd leverage over someone. So what does me telling you the reason for why we are doing everything we are doing, mean to you?" Theo explained.

"Take a seat, Mister Nott," McGonagall sighed, gesturing to in front of her desk, Theo moved to grab a chair from behind one of the front desks. Placing it neatly in front of her and taking a seat.

"I want to know, because who is to say you aren't double agents?"

"I don't need to justify my actions to you. I apologise if that sounds crass or rude, but it is the truth," Theo said when McGonagall's eyebrows raised, he could tell she didn't like the way he was addressing her. "I have people I care about, people I need to protect. We Slytherins may not express ourselves the way your precious lions do, but that doesn't mean we don't care about people. I was raised to believe that love, caring, affection. They make you weak. Yet here I am before you trying like hell to make sure everyone I care about makes it out of this bloody War alive." Theo bit out, the frustration of the past couple days was getting to him. Ginny had refused to have a proper goodbye, since she was convinced it would all go to plan. Yet he had this horrible feeling that it was only a matter of time before everything went to hell in a hand basket.

"I see," McGonagall pursed her lips, the corners of her mouth twitched upwards momentarily. She couldn't even get upset at the fact that he had cursed twice more, since his answer had instilled hope in her. Hope that after this War there would be people like him to carry the torch, and rebuild their world, the right way.

"The past few days haven't been easy...so if you'll excuse me, Professor. I think I'm going to sleep for a while." Theo stood up, nodding curtly at his Transfiguration teacher before turning to leave. He was halfway to the door before he paused. "Ginevra Weasley is going to be coming to Hogwarts either tomorrow or in the next couple of days."

"How do you...?"

"I just do. Have a good evening, Professor," Theo said softly, striding out of the classroom.

"Ginevra Weasley, hmm?" McGonagall smiled to herself. "I see how it is, Mister Nott."

...

 **November 30th**

 **An Inn Somewhere in Hampshire, near Winchester**

 **Theodus Nott**

The Zabini boy had proved useful after all. If he was right about the tip about a Weasley holed up in a shack not too far from here, then Theodus would ensure he was rewarded handsomely.

Their searches had been unfruitful so far, and the Dark Lord was furious on a good day nowadays. He was growing weary of his failures, and if Theodus did not provide any tangible results soon; it would be his mangled body in the corner of the room.

 _At least Theodore is learning his place, and where he belongs in the pecking order of the World. Macnair has nothing but lovely things to say about him. I was beginning to wonder if I would have not one but two children as failures. Hmmm I doubt Gwendolyn is dead. The Dark Lord assured me that her magical signature was gone...but I have this feeling, nagging and groaning at me. I can feel it, I feel that she is still alive. How is the question? I doubted she would survive, if not the beasts, then the cold night would have killed her._

Theodus was in his room for the night. He and the rest of his team had found a little inn to stay, warm food filling their bellies as they retired to their rooms. Theodus had pulled out his flask that he kept filled with Firewhisky, to think. His feet were kicked up on the table, he was leaning back in his chair, flask in one hand, the other was tapping the chair arm as he thought.

 _If Gwendolyn isn't dead, then she must have escaped...but the Dark Lord said that was nigh impossible due to the wards. Which hadn't been tampered with. It makes no logical sense. No sense. Well good riddance either way, if she isn't dead yet, she'll be dead soon. Winter will soon be upon us, she'll freeze to death. She does deserve it for being such an insolent child. It would suit her. To be killed in such a silent way, she always was a silent child. Then she started getting ideas in her head. Theodore started to listen and that's when I knew it needed to stop._

 _Tomorrow is a big day. I'll finally get myself a Weasley. Too bad it's the youngest one. The girl. Dark Lord insists if it plays out that she be sent to Hogwarts. Shame really, I would enjoyed a new play thing, she could wait on me hand and foot._ Theodus laughed to himself. _Hell might have even given her to Theo as a present for following in his Father's footsteps. I can't wait for tomorrow._

* * *

 **How'd you like that, hmmmmm? I'm a little weird. I had to add in the part with Gwendolyn, I really want to explore that a little bit, not sure if that's something anyone would be interested in or not? Next chapter is going to have some Sirius in it, as well as a little Ron and Ginny action. How you ask? Well all in due time my lovelies.**

 **I know this chapter was super long. ALSO I'M SO SORRY ABOUT LUNA. So SO sorry! I love her soooo much. The next chapter will not be nearly as long as this, I can tell you that. Seriously, it's nuts how long this is. I just couldn't stop writing.**

 **The next chapter will pick up right where we left off, and then Ginny will be at Hogwarts.**

 **Anyway I hope you enjoyed it and I wish you all a very good day!**

 **-Indieblue xx**


	9. Home, Sweet Home?

**This chapter is nowhere near as long as last week. It is however, just as good...right? I'll let you get back to me on that.**

 **For what I have done please forgive me. Please. Sorry in advance.**

 **Things are starting to pick up again as we get closer to Christmas, the only question is whose storyline do we wish more of? Gwendolyn is most assuredly going to be a big part of the next chapter, trust me. I'm thinking I may add in a Ron perspective, but not too sure.**

 **Chic. Geek. Fangirl. Freak: I love writing their relationship with Luna. She is one of my fsvourite characters, I just love her to biiits. I'm glad you loved it! To be honest I had a lot of fun writing that scene. I promise things will be a litter nicer in the next chapter. We'll have a full reunion of our little Quartet (with Neville and Luna too). *crosses fingers you like this chapter cause I did something baaaaad*. This is going to be a back and forth innit? Yepp it is. I've decided :p. Yoooou're the amaaaazing one that makes me feel super happy after I see your review. Seriously you're brilliant! Love ya!**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling and only the storyline is mine.**

* * *

 **December 1st**

The woods were eerily quiet. Perhaps it was an indication of the events to come, that the woods somehow knew something was about to go horribly, terribly wrong. Theodus led the way, his back straight, chin raised and head high. A toothy grin on his face as they neared to the small cabin, Ginny was rumoured to be staying.

Blaise was worried. This could go wrong in so many ways. Any nervous energy that he was exuding was dispelled or perhaps it was overridden by the excitement radiating off of Theodus. _In a way I can understand why he's so ecstatic, this is the first real 'lead' that we have on the Weasleys. I just hope to Salazar that this deranged monster doesn't try and kill her._

Blaise bit the inside of his cheek by accident as they neared the cabin. The metallic taste swirled around his mouth. Closer. They were getting closer. _I hope Red is as good a liar as we need her to be or we're all fucked._

The trees were thinning out, the only sounds their feet as their boots crunched over the leaves and twigs strewn about the forest floor. Then there it was, a plain wooden cabin, the windows were boarded up, the door was hanging ajar. Theodus' confidence began to falter as he stared at the cabin. Blaise knew that Ginny had a few water flasks filled with water, a Hunter's knife, and a few other bits that made it look like she had lived in the abandoned cabin. A blanket. She'd even managed to get the water flowing through the old pipes, so her cleanliness wouldn't be questioned.

Theodus gestured with his hand to get ready, his wand in one hand, the other reached for the door knob. _Please I don't know if this will change anything, but if there is a God or some form of deity up there. Please let us make it out of this alive. I can't handle Red dying. Heck I don't want to die. Please. I'm begging you._ Blaise pleaded.

Blaise watched with fearful eyes, expression impassive, wand clutched tightly in his hand as Theodus pushed open the door and burst inside. _Well here goes nothing_. Blaise followed the other Death Eaters, and sitting in the middle of the small worn down cabin was Ginny, stuffing her face with something out a can. She carefully put the can down, wiped her face with the back of her hand. Finishing her chewing she looked up at the group of men in front of her. Gulping she made a noise of satisfaction. Ginny's eyes searched for him; and Blaise almost laughed when she looked directed at Theodus Nott, legs crossed, hands on her knees, her wand beside her and asked calmly, "can I help you boys?"

The insolence that came out the small redhead's mouth floored Theodus. A slow grin grew on his face as he looked down at her. If only the Dark Lord hadn't ordered him differently he would have gifted her to Theo to break her fiery will. Well that did add to the fun of it all when they were stubborn. She reminded him a lot of his daughter.

"Aren't you full of surprises," Theodus said in a predatory tone, his eyes raking over Ginny who was staring at him defiantly. It was the same look he had given a servant girl before he beat her within an inch of her life a few weeks ago when Blaise went to discuss business. She had taken too long to bring them tea. Blaise insisted he didn't mind, yet Theodus didn't listen. His mind was made up.

"Sir. It seems as if the intel was correct, shall we take her in?" Blaise asked tentatively.

"First I want to ask her a question...where is the rest of your family girl?" Theodus snarled, crouching down in front of her, his hot breath hitting her face.

"I don't know...I can't remember anything after the wedding," Ginny stated blankly. _That's our girl. Ok sweetie just keep that up and this should go smoothly...should._

Theodus raised his hand to hit her, and to Ginny's credit she didn't even flinch.

"Sir." Blaise drawled, trying to sound cavalier. Surprised when he heard how calm his voice sounded.

"Yes, Zabini?" Theodus sneered in a sweet tone, looking over his shoulder at the Italian.

"How about I use Legilimency? As you recall I'm not too fond of hitting women. I think we can get information out a lot faster this way," Blaise explained.

Theodus stared at him with one eye for a long time, his face slightly obscured by shadows. His hand slowly lowered and he stood up, took a step back and then gestured for Blaise to take his place. The rest of the Death Eaters raised their wands, as an indication that an attempt to escape would be an exercise in futility.

"You're a year older than me right?" Ginny asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Yea," What are you doing Red?

Ginny didn't say anything else, when Blaise knelt on the floor, placing his fingers to her temple. Blaise thought that would be it, and that the numerous wands pointed at her would cause her to be quiet, but a moment later-

"Why are you doing this?" Ginny asked softly, tears brimming in her eyes. Theodus scoffed.

"Women. Too weak and soft." Only Blaise could see the way Ginny's eyes hardened and darted to Theodus when the man wasn't looking.

"How much this hurts all depends on you. You resist and it'll hurt like nothing you have ever experienced. You let me in and you won't feel a thing. You choose."

"Not going down without a fight," Ginny said simply. Well here goes nothing.

"Legilimens," Blaise whispered. They needed to make this as convincing as possible. Blaise entered Ginny's mind as found nothing. It was blank. He tried to look around and all he saw were white walls. Starch white. Emotionless. Blank _. Maybe I need to try a little deeper?_ He finally reached something, the images were jarring and abrupt. Images of dancing, laughing and drinking filled his senses. _That must be Bill, and his wife...what was her name again? Right, Fleur._

Whilst Blaise was looking around her head, he faintly heard Ginny's screams of anguish, and he felt the presence trying to move past his own walls. It was aggressive and relentless. Theodus. Blaise gently extracted himself from Ginny's mind, and strengthened the walls around his own.

When Blaise removed his hands from Ginny's temples, she fell with a thud onto the wooden floorboards. _Red is a really good actor, I didn't feel any resistance on my way out. The real question is why is Theodus trying to see into my mind? Stupefy,_ Blaise thought in Ginny's direction, her body relaxed and became limp.

"She was telling the truth," Blause turned to face the rest of them. A bored look on his face.

"Fuck!" Theodus swore, raking his fingers through his hair. Blue eyes flashing as he paced the room. "Get her out of my sight. Take her to Hogwarts. Just- fuck."

You don't need to tell me twice. "Yes, Sir," Blaise nodded, bowing slightly. Putting one hand on Ginny, and he apparated them out of there.

Blaise looked around at their surroundings, and began to laugh maniacally. They were on the outskirts of Hogsmeade, on the side of the road.

"We actually fucking pulled it off. Expecto Patronum," Blaise waved his wand, overjoyed to see his Falcon Patronus. "We did it. Red safe. Soon there." Blaise kept it short and simple. Theo was free all morning, so he was back at the cottage awaiting to hear from them. _We did. Somehow we did. It actually worked. Thank you if you're up there deity. Seriously, thanks._

...

 **December 6th**

 **Shell Cottage**

"Ronald, Ronald where do you think you are going?" Molly asked, pulling on her son's arm as he kept walking towards the door.

"I've been here too long, Mum. I've wanted to go back to Harry and Hermione since I left, but I didn't have any idea where they would be. So I stayed here. I stayed here and I can't anymore. It's driving me mental. I need to at least try and find them before I go barmy," Ron explained, facing his Mother as he opened the front door to Shell Cottage.

"Snatchers. Theodus Nott has made it his mission to find us. How exactly do you plan to find them. It's too dangerous, Ronald." Molly sniffed, clutching at his shirt sleeve desperately. Sirius had informed her of Ginny's placement at Hogwarts, and it's success, but now all of her children were going to be in harm's way and she couldn't handle it.

"This is war, Mum. It would be easy to just sit here and wait it out, and hope we come out on top, but my friends are in danger. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if they died and I wasn't there to try and at least find them." Ron said to his Mother in a soft tone, pulling her into a hug.

"If you don't come back in one piece Ronald Weasley, I'll make you regret it. You hear me?" Molly cried into his chest.

"Make that two of us," an amused tone said just outside the door. Ginny was standing there in full school uniform, her hair piled messily on her head.

Ron blinked twice, unable to believe his eyes. Then he began to wonder at the back of his mind, how he must look to Ginny. His hair was shaggy and covered his ears, he had ginger scruff covering his face, and his dark circles were terrible. Yet Ginny stood before him, as if there was no war, as if everything was back to normal.

"Ginny, dear!" Molly let go of her son, and hurried over to her daughter, hugging her tightly. "How are you, sweetie. How are your boys? Still safe, or as safe as they can be?"

"I'm alright, Mum. They are trying. Draco hasn't been sleeping well. I was wondering if you had any dreamless sleeping potion?" Ginny frowned in concern.

"Draco is it?" Ron grunted.

"Ronald Weasley. This is the first time I've seen you in months. Don't be a git and make me hex you," Ginny scowled.

"Both of you behave. There is enough strife going around. No need to have a go at one another." Molly scolded her two children, letting go of Ginny and firmly looking them sternly in the eye. "Yes, I do have something. That poor dear needs to stop running himself ragged. Sirius reports back about him all the time." Molly said worriedly, placing a hand on her cheek. She shook her head, and then walked back into the house, brushing past Ron.

"Going somewhere then?" Ginny pointed at his attire and the large rucksack on his back.

"To find Harry and Hermione." Ron said curtly.

"Oh don't be like that. They are not as bad as you think they are." Ginny rolled her eyes, knowing that Ron was still suspicious of her boys.

"You're conso-"

"Don't you dare say I'm consorting with the enemy!" Ginny growled. "You have no idea what they've been through the past few months. Months you've been shacked up here may I remind you?" Ginny said coldly, growing defensive.

"Pardon me?"

"You heard me, Ronald."

"Ginevra," Ron moved to walk out of the house and past Ginny when she reached out to grab his arm. Ginny flinched when something took over her, and then Ron's mind was filled with images. Some were clearer and more vivid, others were blurry, fuzzy, the sounds and movements indistinct.

Then they slowed and Ron was sucked into a memory.

...

"Draco you are not a monster," Ginny had her hands gently looped around his shoulders, his head was in the crook of her neck.

"I couldn't protect, Lu. I'm sorry," Draco whispered.

"Theo told me that you saved her though," Ginny reminded him.

"This war needs to end, Red."

"I know,"

"I've been lucky...the Dark Lord hasn't made me kill...much," Draco spat the man's title as if it tasted horrid. "Theo and Blaise...damn bastards have been making them do unspeakable things. I can't keep doing this, Red. Pretending to enjoy the display when he tortures someone in front of us. Trying not to throw up in Alecto and Amycus' presence. Not doing anything when they use Muggleborns as targets in Defense," Draco choked. "Why would she want to be with someone like me? After all this? She deserves so much better."

"Hermione loves you. She knows who you are, and like I told Theo. As long as you don't enjoy it, then I will always forgive you. I'm sure Mione is the same,"

"Red. I just-" Draco pulled back slightly, and Ginny moved the hair out of his face, as silent tears streamed down his face.

"She loves you. Get a grip, Dray. She told me no matter what happens during the war, she is always going to love you." Ginny stated, wiping away his tears.

"I hope there is enough of me left to love when all of this shit is over," Draco laughed harshly.

"There will be, trust me."

...

Ron gasped as he stumbled backwards from his sister, reeling from what had just happened. "Hermione and-"

"Hermione and Draco are together. You better not give her any shit for it when you find her and Harry. You will find a way to come to terms with it before you see her again. She loves him, he loves her, and as her friend you need to respect that." Ginny crossed her arms over her chest.

"I...I need to go," Ron rasped, his voice hoarse as he turned on his heel and apparated.

"That's new..." Ginny frowned. _I just wanted to show him. I wanted him to understand. I hope I haven't screwed everything up._ Molly was highly distressed when she came back outside to find only one of her children, a dreamless sleeping potion in hand.

...

 **December 12th**

 **Third Floor Corridor**

 **Outside the Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom**

 **Hogwarts**

Ginny had been at Hogwarts for elven days now. Eleven days and she had yet to see Theo, Luna, Neville or Blaise. Draco had come to see her in the middle of the night on her first night. That was when he warned her than Alecto had made it her mission to watch Ginny's every move.

Speaking of the Carrows. Ginny had already landed herself detention. Which was going to be taking place in a matter of minutes. In fact she was on her way to the DADA classroom right now.

Neville was whipped, Luna was burned, Terry Boot was used as target practice last week in Defense. Those were only the instances she had heard of thus far. Alecto had easily bypassed several people on Ginny's list of people to pay pack in kind for what they had done to her loved ones.

Ginny strolled down the corridor until she reached the Defense classroom, her wand was hidden in the waist band of her skirt _. I don't care who she is, I'm not going to take any punishments without fighting back._

Ginny hesitated as her hand touched the doorknob. Before she could turn it however, the door flung inwards, taking her by surprise as she stumbled in. The room was dark and there was a weird smell wafting to the right of her. Cautiously she turned to look at it, and she found Alecto staring at her heatedly.

"You know, I was so excited when Theodus told me you'd be coming to Hogwarts." Alecto was dresssed in black lingerie. Black stockings that attached to her laced up bodice, and a pair of bright red heels.

 _What the actual fuck?_ Ginny was starting to understand why her boys hated the Carrows so much. "Why is that?"

"Your Mother was quite a fiesty woman, so I would expect her daughter would be the same. Oh I do hope you don't disappoint me, Ginevra,"

"Don't call me, _Ginevra_ ," Ginny snarled.

"This can either be easy, or it be hard. You sit and take your punishment like a good girl, or I tie you up. Your choice," Alecto purred, pulling a whip from behind her back. Raising and pulling the whip taut between her hands, her long tongue darted out and licked the leather. _This woman has completely gone off the bend. She's barmy._

"You're _insane_ ,"

"I do always prefer it when things are a bit more challenging. Don't you worry my sweet. I'll take good care of you." _I need to get out of here._ Ginny thought suddenly in a panic, when large arms wrapped around her shoulders and lifted her off the ground. _Shit._

"Oh Amycus, love. Tie her up for me will you?"

Ginny kicked out and squirmed, but it was futile. She almost managed to get her wand when Amycus put her down to put one of her hands in the roped loop. He hit her, hard; across the face, and whilst her left eye watered and swelled shut, he pushed her hand through the rope, tightening it. The rope rubbed against her hand, her skin chafing, her wrist rubbing raw.

After that it was only a few minutes before Alecto was kneeling in front of her, peering up into her face as Amycus leaned against a desk a little ways away. Ginny learned two things in the next few moments. Alecto did indeed have a back fetish, and the weird smell intensified in the corner she was standing. She was looking defiantly in front of her, refusing to make eye contact at either of them.

Alecto moved in a slow circle around Ginny until she was directly behind her, her cold fingers trailing down Ginny's back.

"It seems you're wearing too much. You really shouldn't interrupt Amycus when he's teaching those filthy Mudbloods their place." Alecto said, her breath washing over Ginny's neck, causing the hair to stand up on the back of her nape.

Ginny felt her robes, shirt, bra and a layer of skin cut open after Alecto flicked her wand. _Don't say anything you'll regret Ginny. Don't say anything you'll regret_. Ginny bit the corner of her tongue, and then made sure to move it into the recesses of her mouth, as to not bite it off by accident.

"How many times did she talk back, sweetie?" Alecto asked Amycus, who shrugged before responding.

"I lost count. At least twelve."

"Then I suppose I'll lose count as well," Alecto grinned darkly, her nail tracing a line next to the flesh wound on Ginny's back.

"Since you haven't been here from the beginning of the term, you wouldn't know any better. So I'll let you off easy, with only whippings today. Next time I won't be so nice."

"For your sake I hope there isn't a next time," Amycus spoke, his gruff voice a warning as he eyed Ginny. There was something strange in his eyes. He looked almost...tired, weary.

"Without further ado, let's get this party started," Alecto ran her tongue over her bottom lip, one hand against her face. Ginny refused to cry out when the whip hit her back, once, twice, thrice. Even as she lost count, her back throbbing with pain as the blood oozed out of her open wounds. Her skin felt raw, and even though she hadn't cried out, her throat was dry and sore from her silent screams.

"Enough, pet. Fetch one of the boys to take her to her dorm," Amycus strode up behind Alecto, standing behind her, one hand on her neck, the other wrapped around her waist.

"How about the Nott kid? Zabini and Malfoy are both supposed to return late from their missions, and he is the only one that should be back by now," Alecto sighed, leaning her head back on her twin's shoulder.

 _No...not Theo..._ Ginny thought weakly, spots were beginning to dance in front of her eyes, the edges of her vision were blurry. _He may...kill you._ Her knees felt wobbly, and knocked together once before her legs gave out. _Anyone but Teddy._ Then her body went limp, and she fought to stay awake, vaguely aware of Alecto patting her head, but her eyelids grew too heavy, her limbs felt numb, and then she fell into darkness.

...

 _What the hell could that bastard Amycus want so late? I just got back from that long, crazy rant from Macnair, I am not in the mood to walk in on him and Alecto having fun._

Theo faltered when he saw the door was ajar. Something felt off, wrong. Narrowing his eyes, he held his wand against his robe sleeve, keeping it hidden. Taking a deep breath he pushed open the door and turned to his right. The first thing he saw was her ginger hair.

He almost lashed out and killed the Carrrows right there and then, but he found a small musical voice at the back of his head begging him not to. _Our future_ it said. Even the voice was almost not enough to keep him grounded. His rage was so potent, that he ignored the twins attempts at small talk, and headed straight to Ginny; because if he didn't check and make sure she was alive first, he was definitely going to bring a world of hurt down on them. Pure fury filled him when he walked behind her and saw her back, bile burned at the back, he literally saw red. He didn't even notice that his fingernails had dug into the palm of his hand, and blood was dripping slowly. His fingers were shaking as he leaned forward and pressed his fingers to her neck. Relief washed over him when he felt a pulse, it was slow, but it was there. Numbly he gently removed the bindings from her wrists, being careful to catch her when she fell forward. Ensuring that no part of him was touching her, he carefully placed her face down on the cold ground, turning her head to a side as he did. Ginny's bangs were covering most of her face, which was unnaturally pale.

Staring at her now all he could think was two weeks ago she had been in his bed, exactly like this, but her cheeks were flushed, and a small smile had touched her lips when she told him to let her sleep in a little longer. Theo forced himself to look at the extent of her injuries from a clinical perspective. It was bad. He was almost positive it was worse than Neville's had been. _I am going to kill Alecto. I don't think I have ever hated anyone this much in my life, and that's saying something._

"It really is rude not speaking to your superiors, Nott," Alecto sneered, her heels clicking as she made her way over to them. Theo's face was cast in shadows as his eyes glanced up at her, a murderous look on his face; his blue eyes had darkened to a deep blue, and Alecto took a step back unwittingly. Theo grabbed his wand and levitated Ginny off the ground.

"I've had a tough evening, and if you don't mind, you're in my fucking way," Theo snarled nastily, flicking his wand and throwing Alecto across the room. Amycus flew up, wand raised.

"How dare you?" Amycus said agitatedly.

"How dare I?" Theo laughed harshly, advancing on Amycus. "How dare I? That's downright funny. Now why don't you lower your wand before I cut off your hand?" Theo asked dangerously.

"You impudent little-"

"I suggest you get out of my way before you join your sister on the floor," Theo growled.

Amycus looked torn. His eyes darted over to his twin, who was holding her head and wincing. Making a split decision with a grimace; he lowered his wand, and ran over to his sister.

Theo looked at the Carrows filled with disgust and hate. Then he glanced back at Ginny and he allowed for a sliver of his real emotions to peek through. It burned, his chest burned and fear rose up inside him as his hands trembled. _I need to get Red to the Room of Requirement. Right now._ Theo strode out of the room quickly, making sure that it didn't appear too rushed to the Carrows.

...

 _I need to get into the Room of Requirement. I need to get inside where the others are. I need Lovegood and I need Longbottom. I need them right now. Right damn well now._ Theo paced furiously in front of the Room on the Seventh Floor. The door barely formed before Theo was rushing inside. "HELP. LOVEGOOD! LUNA! I NEED HELP," Theo yelled, a tear running down his cheek and he levitated Ginny into the room behind him.

"Theo?" Luna hurried up the stairs, hair flying out behind her. She was wearing a think dark blue cotton tee shirt, black shorts and pink and green striped socks. "Oh...my...Gin," Luna gasped, grabbing the hair tie off of her wrist and in one swift motion throwing her hair into a ponytail, retrieving her wand from behind her ear.

Then Theo fell apart, he sank down to the ground and watched almost as if he wasn't in his body anymore. It didn't feel real, watching Luna move the fabric away from Ginny's back and levitate her towards her tent. Theo saw Draco stalking towards him, his platinum haired friend knelt in front of him. Draco placed his hand on Theo's shoulder, but he didn't feel it, he stared straight past his best friend's face and saw Luna ducking into her tent at the back. He did feel Draco press his forehead to his, and he somehow that was all he needed to reassure him that it was okay to let go. Theo didn't try and stop the tears from falling, and Draco grasped the back of his neck firmly, and the last thing he heard before he blacked out, was a faint "Red is going to be okay."

* * *

 **I promise that the Carrows will get what's coming to them. I won't use backs as a place of punishment again though, any suggestions on punishments though are welcome. I'm seriously thinking about having a scene with the Order, hmm not too sure.**

 **I have thankfully gotten over my writer's block for Promise. So I'll probably be posting two chapters this week *fingers crossed* Fall Through Time is most likely going to be a day late. Sorry about that. *edited on Wednesday, 26th August, this one comment right here about writer's block***

 **Oh yea. Come September my updates will be a little less frequent, so maybe every other week as opposed to every week. I can guarantee, that the chapters will be very short and probably not very good if I post weekly. I'm sorry .**

 **I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Love you,**

 **Indieblue xx**

 **P.S. I posted this chapter on Monday, but I didn't get a notification, and I wasn't sure if you guys did either, so I'm reposting it. So hope you enjoy it!**


	10. Merry Christmas

**Hey. Hi. Hello. How you doing? Hope you're GREAT. Love you guys!**

 **This chapter is mainly an inbetweener. I wanted to let them all have a bit of a breather before schools starts back/ Luna being kidnapped. Which will be dealt with in the next chapter, trust me. Whoa boy I'm going to have fun writing that.**

 **On a positive note, I finally got over my writer's block for Promise, so I managed to post a new chapter yesterday :D**

 **chic. geek. fangirl. freak: 1. Wholly and completely agree, Alecto is a nut job.**

 **2\. Yayy I'm so glad I have been forgiven :")**

 **3\. A Ron perspective you shall have :). I was back and forth whether I wanted to do it before or after they met back up, I suppose this answers that question.**

 **4\. I was thinking along the same lines, great minds think alike, eh, eh?**

 **5\. Here's to exchanging pleasantries xx (nope, you're the brilliant one). This ought to be fun, no?**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the storyline and any original characters are mine.**

* * *

 **December 15th**

 **Holinsdale Inn**

 **Ron**

It had almost been two weeks since his encounter with Ginny, and Ron had refused to think about what she had told him before they parted ways. Two weeks of denial. Two weeks of repressed emotions, running, hiding in plain sight.

Ron had found a muggle inn that took cash, it had taken quite a bit of fumbling, back and forth, and confusion over what each note meant before he successfully paid for his room. The innkeeper was very accommodating, in fact the greying man in his late twenties found it all quite amusing and told Ron that he had brought some mirth to his day so it was okay. Ron was glad that he managed to sneak some of the muggle money that his Father kept compiled together for whatever reason. Briefly the thought crossed his mind that maybe the innkeeper had taken advantage of his naivety but he pushed it out of his mind. he adjusted his bag strap on his shoulder and smiled at brown eyed man before following his directions to the right and up the stairs.

"Jack?" Susan called as she walked in through the front doors, shaking her umbrella slightly, and undoing her jacket. Jack's head popped up and he smiled at her in greeting, the smiles lines around his mouth and eyes becoming prominent as he did so.

"Welcome back, love. I just checked in a lodger," Jack leaned forward on the counter, lacing his fingers together as he let all of his weight fall onto his forearms.

"For how long?" Susan asked curiously. She was a tall, thin, and inquisitive woman. The inn had belonged to her Father, and upon his passing she and her husband Jack had inherited it. She had ear length ginger hair, freckles covering her body, most obvious on her forearms, (which she used to hate, but after hearing how much he loved them every day for the past three years from her husband, she had grown to tolerate them). Her ears stuck out a little, but Jack found it endearing. Overall she was a fairly attractive woman, her bright blue eyes were locked on her husband's, who was laughing internally as she cursed the rain. Jack loved the rain, whilst his wife scorned it. She insisted that they needed to move somewhere warmer, but he knew she secretly loved their country, and that she wouldn't be able to bear leaving.

"Indefinitely, paid up front for three nights. Poor chap had his notes slightly confused. I gave him a bit of a discount, he looked quite troubled." Jack informed her.

"Troubled?"

"Quite sad, especially for someone his age, looked about seventeen, eighteen," Jack pursed his lips.

"Hopefully he figures it out," Susan said, her mouth twisting to the side as she removed her coat completely.

"So do I," Jack sighed, his heart going out to the reheaded youth. The same one who was sprawled out on his bed upstairs.

Ron had thrown his knapsack next to his bed, kicked off his boots, and was now lying flat on his back; arms above his head, feet hanging off the end of the bed. Ron stared blankly at the ceiling, lost in thought.

 _Hermione is dating Malfoy. It makes sense...thinking about it, it all makes sense. Mione's defense of him when Harry was convinced he was a Death Eater...which he is. Yet he's a spy for the Order. I just don't know what to think anymore. Heck I was jealous because I thought she and Harry fancied each other. I was right about her fancying someone, just got the person wrong. Malfoy though? What part about him does she find attractive. I guess he's not the worst looking guy around, a little pale if you ask me. Kind of the pot calling the kettle black in that case._ Ron shifted one of his hands so it was buried in his hair. _I am the ginger haired, blue eyed, freckle boy. What I really want to know is how it happened. When did it start? It must have been at some point last year, but when last year? Either way she's been lying to Harry and I for months...I guess I get why she did it. She couldn't just tell us. It must have been hard on her, keeping it a secret for so long. I get why she rejected me so quickly at the end of summer. Ginny knows, Nott knows, Zabini knows, Harry may or may not know. I have been gone for a bit over two months, it's possible she told him. Ginny was right though. Hermione is my friend. I need to try and be accepting of her relationship. That doesn't mean I'm not still upset. She kept it a secret, I mean she didn't have to tell us the moment they started dating, but whilst we were on the run at least would have been a good time._

Ron sat up abruptly, hands in his hair as he propped his elbows on his thighs, ignoring how they were digging into his legs. _On one hand I want to be able to go up to Mione and tell her I'm okay with all of this...yet I'm not. At the same time, I am. If it wasn't for that memory I would have blown up for sure. That memory, at least that's what I think it was showed a different side of Malfoy than what I've seen. I've never seen him look sad, much less cry. He was crying cause he didn't think he was good enough for Mione._ Ron paused for a moment and then snorted. _Well to be fair I don 't think anyone is. Maybe, maybe if I didn't...didn't have feelings for her, I could look at this from a semi-unbiased perspective, but I do, and I can't. I've known her for six years, six years of being friends, and living through extraordinary circumstances. Heck in our first year we fought a troll._ Nostalgia filled Ron as memories of their adventures over the past six years flashed through his mind. _I can't believe I left them...Merlin I'm such an idiot. I'm going to swallow my pride when I see her and tell her I support her, if I didn't can I really say that I love her, like a friend or more? She deserves to be treated with respect and surrounded by support. Shit, she may not be able to bring her parents back, or return their memories. Harry, and I are all she really has; with the exception of Malfoy, Ginny and the rest of our family I mean. We're her best friends. We need to stick together._ A roaring flame was lit inside of Ron, and his determination to find his friends grew with each passing moment. _They may not need me, or they might. Either way I never should have left. My friends are out there in danger, and I abandoned them. Their lives are at risk with every passing moment. I need to try my hardest to find them. Even if they don't need me, I need them. Harry needs me, bloody hell, we're all he had left as well. When all of this mess is done, I need to buy Harry a drink._ Ron let out a heavy puff of air, falling back against his sheets again. _I need to find my best friends. Before it's too late._

...

 **December 18th**

 **Third Floor**

 **Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom**

 **Hogwarts**

"It really is no fun that Snape won't let us use the Cruciatus curse on the students," Alecto sulked, her sharp heeling digging into the fifth year boy's back that was tied into ball at her feet. Her legs were crossed as she lounged in her armchair.

"Well, he did say that we are the disciplinarians to McGonagall the other day, dear," Amycus sighed, crouching down to look at the boy. "His hour of detention is up, in case you were wondering."

"Already? Tying him up didn't even take that long," Alecto crossed her arms over her chest as she stuck her bottom lip out.

"Let him go, sweet," Amycus said in a stern tone.

"Fine," Alecto growled, removing her feet, her heels making a loud clicking noise when she slammed them down on the ground on either side of the boy. Amycus waved his wand, and the boy's gag and restraints detangled their way off of his body.

Alecto watched with joy as the boy scrambled to get up, but his muscles seized after having been in such an awkward position for so long. Which made him stumble his way out of the room.

"We are the disciplinarians..." Alecto ran her tongue over her top lip slowly. Amycus placed his hands on either side of her on the chairs arms and pressed his forehead to hers.

"Which means you can use all the spells you want,"

"Imperio is boring...oh...unless you made them tie themselves up!" Alecto giggled, clapping her hands together. "Avada Kedava is unnecessary. So that leaves crucio and imperio."

"And all the other hexes and jinxes," Amycus reminded her.

"Ohhhh detention just became that much more fun...speaking of," Alecto narrowed her eyes, and moved her hands into Amycus' short brown hair, tugging on it hard as she sat up. "Where. The. Fuck. Are. My. Playthings?"

"By playthings I assume you mean the Loony Ravenclaw and Longbottom was it?"

"They've been missing for almost two weeks," Alecto snarled venomously.

"They were in class today," Amycus informed her.

"Maybe they've just been skipping 'Muggle Studies'," Alecto let out a huff, a look of disdain on her face. "Why such a asinine subject was created is beyond me."

"I tend not to think of the motivation of others."

"Ah well. My fun with my toys has only just begun," Alecto purred, closing the distance between her and Amycus and biting down hard on his bottom lip.

...

 **Meanwhile in the Room of Requirement**

"Teddy, I'm fine. I swear," Ginny reassured her boyfriend.

Theo didn't look convinced, Ginny's back was still raw, though the skin had started to scab over and was slowly healing. Draco's theory about Alecto's 'toys' being laced with dark magic seemed to be true.

"Red-"

Ginny held up a hand, staring defiantly at him. "I'm not going back to the cottage," she winced as she shifted on her bunk. Neville had organised her a tent opposite to Luna's and next to his. Theo had stayed here for the majority of the past week, checking on her and making sure she was alright. Which, stubborn witch that she was, was putting on a brave front and refused to admit that she was in horrendous amounts of pain.

"It's only a matter of time before, _Alecto,_ gets bored of using her toys and starts using magic on students in detention. Knowing how sick and twisted she is, she'll come up with some bloody fucked up ideas," Theo said vehemently; he had never been more scared than he was last week, never, not once in his life. Not when he was dealing with Macnair, or his Father, not even when he was staring directly into the red eyed snake's eyes, the Dark Lord himself.

"I can handle it," Ginny said coldly, grimacing when she shifted her position, the skin on her back still tender, and if she moved too suddenly the wounds could rip open.

"Don't you get it, Red?" Theo said tiredly, picking the vial filled with a healing concoction that Luna and Draco had created, up off of her dresser and handing it to her. Carefully she extended her hand to take it from his hand.

"Thank you," she murmured, uncorking it, and downing the contents with one swift movement as she knocked it back. Ginny's face contorted for a moment as the foul taste filled her palette. "Get what, love?" Ginny frowned when Theo knelt down on both knees in front of her, taking her hands in his; his pale blue eyes looking up at her imploringly.

"I can't handle it. I can't handle-" Theo stopped, swallowing hard. "I just can't, I don't want to have to do that again, please don't make me," Theo pleaded.

"You know the last thing I want is to hurt you, Teddy," Ginny withdrew one of her hands from his, her cool fingers brushing gingerly over his cheek. "I wish I could just leave, but I can't. There's too much at stake. If we run away, then it just means that they've won," Ginny said, her eyes flashing angrily.

"I know," Theo said in resignation, catching her wrist, turning his head to his right and pressing a soft kiss there. "Doesn't mean I like it. Just try not to get detention with that nutcase, please. Don't antagonise either one of them. Amycus may be a walk in the park compared to his sister, but those incestuous monsters are a fucking package deal. Mess with one of them, you mess with both of them. Plus they hold grudges."

"I'll try, but if Amycus tries to cast dark magic on muggleborns again, I'm not going to just sit by and watch," Ginny replied in warning.

"If you did, you wouldn't be the girl I fell in love with," Theo smiled wryly. "Salazar I want to hug you."

"How about I lie on top of you? That can work, the wounds on my lower back are pretty much healed," Ginny reminded him, smiling brightly at him.

Theo stood up, kicked off his boots and crawled into the bed next to her, lying flat on his back, staring at her, as if he stopped she would disappear. Ginny adjusted the backless shirt that Luna had made for her, and slowly moved over to Theo, shifting until she was lying on top of him, his arm stroking the scarred skin at the lower curve of her back, her legs spread on either side of one of his.

"I love you," Ginny whispered, repositioning her head so she was looking up at him, her hands folded against his chest.

"I love you too, Red." Theo smiled weakly, her detention had really hit him hard.

"I'm not going anywhere, love."

"I can't lose you, Red," Theo's eyes burned with unshed tears.

"You won't," Ginny swore, he turned his head away from her. "Hey, hey, look at me," she demanded, and with measured precision he returned his gaze to her. "You won't lose me, okay? It's going to take a lot more than Alecto and Amycus' fucking freak show to do me in."

Theo nodded subtlety, his thumb needed into her skin. "It's getting late, you want to go to sleep?" He yawned.

"Mmm," Ginny made a noise of agreement, it hitting her all at once, how tired she really was.

"Night, Red," Theo murmured, his grip on her tightening slightly, being careful not to touch any of her wounds.

"Night, Teddy," Ginny yawned.

...

 **December 21st**

 **Inside Harry and Hermione's Tent**

Harry was becoming increasingly frustrated every day. Mainly with himself. It had practically been two months with no progress of any sort. The only good thing that had come from that time, was that Harry and Hermione were closer than ever. After their talk about Draco; Hermione told Harry stories about last year, sneaking around, midnight rendezvous, an incident where they had to hide in a broom closet to avoid being caught out together past curfew.

"Harry, do you want some tea?" Hermione asked from their small kitchen, the kettle already on to boil, it was beginning to whistle and sign softly.

"Yes, please," he smiled wearily, taking his glasses off and putting them on the table in front of him, rubbing his forehead with his index finger and thumb.

"Are you okay?" Hermione frowned, putting the teacups back down on the counter, worriedly moving over to him, one hand in his hair, the other on his shoulder.

"Yea, I'm fine, Mione," Harry tried to smile, but it only waned. "Really," Harry insisted, but Hermione saw right through him.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione pressed, moving the hand from his hair, under his chin forcing him to look her straight in the eye. "Are you seeing him in your drea-"

"No, no," Harry shook his head, "Nothing like that," _maybe just a little like that._ "I'm just frustrated that we haven't found anything recently."

Hermione sighed, nodding her head curtly in understanding, "Don't worry, love. We'll find something soon. I'm sure of it," Hermione kissed Harry's forehead, grimacing slightly when she pulled away to see his bright green eyes swirling with conflicted emotions.

"Tell me another story about rule breaking Hermione, I don't know her as well as I would like," Harry requested, trying to steer the conversation in a more cheery direction. The corners of Hermione's mouth twitched upwards as she sat down across from him, her hands in her lap. Harry gingerly picked up his glasses, cleaning the filthy lenses with his long-sleeved shirt sleeve. Slipping them back onto his face, he gave Hermione his undivided attention.

"Well it may not be as happy as you may like, but I have one," Hermione smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

"I don't mind," Harry murmured, his voice light, and if there had been any loud background noise it would have drowned him out.

...

"Granger?" Draco hissed into the dark corridor. _This is a bad idea. Terrible. I must be going off the bend. Downright barmy._

"I'm here," Hermione whispered, reluctantly moving out of the shadows.

"Why aren't we meeting in the Room of Requirement?" Draco asked lowly, glancing around him with a sharp eye, making sure they were alone.

"Harry has it staked out. We should just wait until another-"

"Hermione," Draco growled, striding forward, and pulling her into him, his fingers digging into her hips.

"Draco, this is insane," Hermione tried to reason, her hands grasping at the lapels of his shirt. _We're too exposed here. This corridor is used quite frequently...for unsavoury behaviour._

"Which part? Us being together, meeting in a dark corridor, or the binding ritual?" Draco asked, faking naivety.

"Meeting in a dark corridor that is used by numerous people, and I don't understand why we have to do the binding ritual tonight," Hermione pursed her lips.

"I don't want to go into the war without doing it, and my days are numbered," Draco shuddered.

"What do you mean your days are numbered?" Hermione demanded, yanking him down so he was eye level with her.

"It's meant to happen...soon," Draco cowed his head, averting her gaze. Hermione's eyes burned into the top of his head as she processed the information. _Soon. It's all happening so fast...I just-_

"Well then, let's get down to business," Hermione said firmly, reaching into her pocket and retrieving her wand.

...

"Wait...binding ritual?" Harry's brow puckered in confusion.

"It's as close to a marriage ceremony as you can get without actually getting married. You can feel the other person, but the farther away you are, the less you can feel it. It's a warm feeling, you can't hear their thoughts, or their emotions really, but you are always connected, the only time you wouldn't feel it is if..." Hermione faltered, her throat felt like it was closing up for a moment.

"Is if what?" Harry urged her to continue.

"Is if they die," Hermione said, her voice thick with emotion.

"Mione?" Harry said uncertainly, unsure if now was really the best time to bring it up. "Remember what we talked about the other day?"

"I remember, we'll be going in a few days," Hermione assured him, rubbing absently at her eye.

"Do you still think it's a good idea?" Harry asked, ruffling his hair.

"We just need to remember to be careful, we'll be fine," Hermione smiled meekly.

"I hope so, Mione. I hope so."

...

 **December 25th**

 **Nott Cottage**

"Potter has more balls than I gave him credit for," Blaise shook his head in disbelief. Draco had just returned from the Manor with the news of how eventful Hermione and Harry's Christmas Eve had been.

"They're lucky they weren't killed," Draco growled, the lights in the cottage flickered momentarily.

"Rein it in, Dray. Don't think Theo wants to come home to a caved in home," Blaise drawled, pouring them both a glass of Firewhisky.

"Is he as furious as I think he is," Blaise asked after a moment of silence; both knowing who he was referring to.

"Worse," Draco sighed, rubbing his temple. Just then the front door clicked open and Theo, followed by Ginny, Luna and Neville all walked into the house.

"It's so pretty, Theo," Luna smiled, gazing around her in wonder. "Oh! I'll have to remind Daddy to buy some of those candles, they smell heavenly."

"That's right, Lu, when are you supposed to go back home?" Ginny threw her arm around Luna's shoulders. Draco and Theo both noticed her wince as she did so, but refrained from saying anything. Blaise was too busy drinking away his sorrows. Daphne's engagement to Adrian Flint was announced a week ago.

"This evening, I did want to come visit the place you stayed all this time forst though," Luna smiled whimsically.

"Longbottom you just going to stand there, or are you going to come and drink with the big boys?" Draco rolled his eyes when Neville stumbled out his answer. Neville may be a force to be reckoned with, a damn good fighter and loyal to the end, but certain things were still a bit out of his reach for now.

"Don't you have any butter-"

"Nope. Doesn't make me feel numb, so it's a waste," Blaise answered curtly. "Firewhisky is a tossup you see, you either feel everything, or nothing at all."

"It's just...I've never had any before," Neville frowned, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well today is your lucky day, Neville m'boy. Sit, sit. There's plenty to go around," Blaise said giddily.

"Blaise lay off, hmm? It's Christmas, the least you can do is be somewhat cognisant of what the fuck is going on around you," Theo scowled, Ginny stood next to him and slipped her hand under the back of his jumper, cool fingers running up and down his back soothingly.

"Well now there's six people that know where this place is...who else you telling by the way, Theo? Finnegan? No offense to him, but ply him with a bit of liquor and the poor bloke can't keep his mouth shut," Blaise raised his glass mockingly in Theo's direction.

"You and I both know that Lovegood and Longbottom are trustworthy, Blaise," Theo spat, not in the mood for Blaise's attitude today.

"I know." Blaise whispered quietly, swirling the amber contents of his glass around. "I know, alright?"

"Daphne?" Draco asked almost inaudibly next to his best friend, he wasn't even sure Blaise heard him, until he nodded his head ever so slightly. Draco leaned his forearms on his knees, his full glass of Firewhisky clasped in between his hands. Blaise sighed heavily, throwing his legs up onto the coffee table, crossing them over each other.

"Why is the dark Lord so unnerved if all Potter did was visit a crazy old hag in Godric's Hollow." Blaise pursed his lips.

"You know it has to be more than that," Draco placed his glass carefully down on the coffee table. Standing up and pacing back in forth, Blaise watched him with curious eyes as he nursed his drink. Theo strode over to the armchair, Ginny close behind him, sitting on his left thigh, one of her legs on either side of it. Luna skipped over to Blaise, nimbly hopping over his crossed legs to plop down next to him. Neville remained where he was, watching Draco like Blaise, with rapt attention.

 _It doesn't make any sense. Dammit if only Hermione had told me more than, 'we have a way to defeat him, Dray, for good'. Yet what could that old loon Bathilda Bagshot know? Why did they go to Godric's Hollow in the first place? No one has been able to pick up their scent for two months. Two months and nothing. Then all of a sudden they up and decide to make a social call? A sentimental visit? Whatever it was it-_ Then a thought occurred to Draco. "Potter wouldn't risk everything if he didn't think it was worth it. There had to be a reason why they went there. Something the Dark Lord doesn't want any of us to find out about. He specifically told us to stay clear of Godric's Hollow. Whatever was there must have been extremely important to him." Draco rambled, thoughts forming into semi-coherent sentences as he tried to reason it out. "Whatever it was must be able to kill him," Draco said in a harsh whisper, his grey eyes wide as he looked at the other occupants of the room.

"See that's nice and all...but it's Christmas like Theo said, can this wait till tomorrow?" Blaise smiled sardonically.

"Fine, yea, ok. I was just trying to figure out if we could help Potter end this war, you know...get rid of the fucking 'Dark Lord'?" Draco bit.

"Girls! Don't get your panties in a twist, you want to yank on each other's ponytails? Fine, but not now. Now we need to remain a united front. Not divided because you're being a drunken asshole," Ginny gestured to Blaise, "and you are being obsessive," she raised her eyebrows in Draco's direction.

"Truce?" Draco asked in a drained tone.

"Truce, mate," Blaise nodded in affirmation.

"I think for now, we trust Harry, Hermione and Ron to do what they need to do, and we focus on staying alive," Neville said in an authoritative tone.

"Weasley?" Blaise swivelled his head to look at Neville, "I thought he was shacked up with your parents and all of them."

"Well he left...in quite a hurry actually," Ginny's eyes nervously darted to Draco. Most people wouldn't have picked up on such a subtle move, but Draco wasn't most people.

"Red," Draco said lowly, a warning in his tone as he stalked towards her and Theo.

"I may have accidentally have told him about you...and Hermione," Ginny flinched when the a large crack appeared in the glass window behind them.

"Your bouts of accidental magic are getting a little out of control, you're not a child anymore, Draco," Theo snarled, a sever look on his face.

"Not a child anymore? Theo, we had our childhood ripped from our fingertips the moment that fucking man came back to life. I have enough shit to deal with, without worrying about Weasley's temper. He's not the most rational person when he's angry. An example would be how he left them. Not saying that he's a bad guy, but do you know how much he hates me? The last thing Potter's merry band needs is strife in it's inner workings," Draco ranted, breathing heavily when he was done.

"How do you guys do it?" Neville asked quietly. Draco had moved over to the window, eyes locked on the long, jagged crack. Luna was kicking her feet back and forth, clueless as to how she could help any of them right now.

"Most days, I don't even know," Blaise admitted vociferously.

"Little Red keeps me grounded," Theo confessed, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards when Ginny stroked his cheek.

"Hermione. Thoughts of Hermione." Draco said simply, deciding not to elaborate.

The six young witches and wizards sat and stood in absolute silence for a while. The only noise was the fireplace crackling in the background. Blaise unable to stand the quiet finally broke it.

"Well this has been a morbid Christmas morning."

"Merry Christmas," Ginny smiled wryly.

"Merry freakin' Christmas," Draco reiterated, his outh twisted to the side, his gaze moved upwards until he was staring at his own reflection in the glass. He saw a young man; one who was weary of this fight. What he wanted most in this world was for to all be over, for him to hold her in his arms again. Breathe in her scent that was uniquely hers as he buried his face and hands in her curls.

"May next year's be better," Neville wished solemnly, the others silently echoing his sentiment. _May next year's be better._

* * *

 **See? That was a nice change of pace, yes?**

 **Right, I think I'm going to have to end up posting a new chapter every other week, just a heads up. I'm probably going to be super busy soon, and I don't want to post a half assed chapter, y'know what I mean?**

 **Anyways I hope you liked this chapter, it was nicer, a bit fluffy, I enjoyed writing the mini scene with Ginny and Theo. I actually had a bunch of fun writing the Ron scene, if we're being honest. I wanted him to be confused, unsure, but then somewhat accepting at the end of the day.**

 **Love you,**

 **Indieblue xx**

 **P.S. chic. geek. fangirl. freak, haiiii, you weren't expected another one of these, were ya? ;) hehe :3, I hope the Ron perspective was everything you wanted and more :)!**


	11. It Was All a Lie

**This chapter is slowly but surely moving the plot along. Trust me, things bout to get intense. In a way I'm giving you a reprieve before everything essentially goes downhill. Fast. Hopefully in between all that Ginny and Theo will be able to sneak in a little couple time :")!**

 **I always find it fun to write from Luna's perspective. I absolutely adore my fellow Ravenclaw.**

 **This chapter may be slightly amusing, not sure. What I do know though is the next one will be focused on Gwendolyn. With Sirius, Draco, Blaise and...Theo.**

 **Oh Yea important announcement. I have put Promise on hiatus for a little bit. I also started another time travel fic. Updates will be less frequent in general since my life has gotten all busy again, but I'll try my best to keep to the schedule I have posted on my profile.**

 **Another quick note, I made a tumblr to interact with you guys better. (Also my personal's dash was probably overloading people with all the HP stuff I reblog XD) It's indiebluecrown. tumblr. com**

 **Reallllly hope you enjoy this chapter...it's a bit diverse shall we say. NONE of our usual POV's ;)**

 **Chic. Geek. Fangirl. Freak: where'd you go? I miss you soooo *sings softly, slooowly***

 **Not sure if I portrayed it well enough, but Where'd you go by Fort Minor and Tiny Dancer kind of vibes^**

 **Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling and only the storyline is mine.**

* * *

 **December 25th, 1997**

 **Christmas**

"Daddy? I'm home!" Luna called softly into the dim house. _Strange, none of the windows are open. It's usually so bright and wonderful in here. I wonder if he went out to go on the hunt for some doxies._

"Daddy?" Luna called out again. Just to be sure, her whimsical voice rebounded throughout the empty house. Sounding utterly lonely and foreboding; Luna felt like cold fingers were running over her skin.

She gingerly took a few steps inside. Something was wrong. Very wrong. She pulled her trunk just inside the door and shut it behind her. The only light was shining brightly from the crack underneath the door.

Luna was not an idiot. No matter what anyone had said about her being odd, strange or weird; never once did they say she was an idiot. Maybe that she wasn't all there, or she might be a little fuzzy around the edges, but never that. Reaching up slowly, with calculated movements she pulled her wand from behind her ear and held it tightly in her grasp.

Now she was on edge, her eyes darting around in the darkness. Any other person would have simply used a Lumos to light their way. Luna was far from normal. The light would impede her hearing, if things really were amiss then by relying only on her auditory senses she would hear them. They could be using a silencing spell on their feet. Luna mused to herself. It was the tiniest noise, a small squeak of a shoe on the wooden boards. _Got you. Stupefy,_ she said mentally, the red light shooting out in the direction of the sound to her right. It sailed through the air, parting through her pitch black surroundings and right where she had predicted was a Death Eater. He crumpled to the floor with a loud thump, and Luna heard his wand clattering onto the floor, wood on wood. This is only the beginning.

 _Protego!_ She summoned a shield just in time to avoid the stunning spell hurled her way. To her left, she heard the subtle clicking of teeth together. _My turn. Stupefy!_

Luna didn't want to injure any of them. Soon she was going to have to start tying them up. _Two down. Who knows how many more to go._

Without the aid of light, Luna was walking blindly. Her eyes had adjusted poorly to the darkness, so it was a good thingshe knew every corner of this house like the back of her hand. _Ginny would be so proud of me right now._

 _Petrificus Totalus!_ Using non verbal spells was a lot harder on her body, in that it was magical draining, but it was worth it when she heard the third body drop. She would have left and ran back to the cottage, but she needed to know if her Dad was alright.

An hour of constant tension, always alert and remaining cautious worked in Luna's favour. She counted thirteen Death Eaters in total. She also found that her Father wasn't here. _I guess I should be honoured that they thought they might need thirteen people._

Luna took a deep breath and focused on a happy memory. Harry. Harry telling her she looked pretty at Slughorn's Christmas party. Ginny announcing loudly to some other girls that Luna was her best friend. Neville's eyes alight with passion as he carefully tended to his prized plants. Draco laughing with her in the Room of Requirement in a spare moment when they didn't feel the war's effects. "Expecto Patronum," she whispered barely audible to her own ears. Luna's hare burst out of the tip of her wand. The silvery corporeal hare sliced through the darkness sharply as it twirled hopped around in the air above her head. Seemingly banishing all of the negativity in her home. A home stained with Dark magic now from the smell of it. "Ginny. Arrived home. Death Eaters. I managed to subdue them. They won't be out forever. I'm coming back, leaving now." Luna let her Patronus bound swiftly away from her, quickly walking after it. _I need to get out of here_. Luna watched her Patronus vanish through the door's surface. _It's only a matter of time before backup comes._

She grabbed a hold of her trunk in the darkness, her wand gripped firmly in her other hand. If only the wards allowed her to apparate inside the house. She reached for the door knob, the brass fuzzy and barely visible in the dark. Just as she reached for it, the door flung outwards. The light flooded into her eyes, she squinted in an attempt to lessen the extent of which it was hitting her. What she saw in front of her made her blood run cold. _I can still try and fight,_ Luna raised her wand, but she was hit by a silent spell before she could and she slumped to the floor, her hand above her head as she held onto her truck, her wand rolling out of her grasp. _I'm sorry, Ginny. It seems like I won't be coming back after all._

...

Theodus Nott stared at the petite dirty blonde girl in front of him. Xenophilius was always an odd man, but at least his wife had saved their child. Otherwise their child would have been born a quack and ugly. Now that just wouldn't do. He had sent some of his men over to capture the wee thing, but seeing as she had just been on her way out; it had been the wrong decision. _If you want something done you need to do it yourself._

"First I found the Weasley girl, now I've been tasked to take you to Malfoy Manor. It seems like my luck is turning. You know. I've had a brilliant month." Theodus didn't seem to mind that he was speaking to an unconscious girl; or that it might be wrong to take someone that had nothing to do with the war and hand them over to the Dark Lord possibly for the slaughter. She was a blood traitor in his eyes, which meant that whatever became of her fate the onus was on her. He peered inside the house and saw thirteen of his fellow Death Eaters lined up against one of the walls; bound, gagged. _They deserve it for being so incompetent. Otherwise a girl that young and small would not have been able to win. I don't need the trunk. Though perhaps it better to take the wand than leave it._ He stroked his chin thoughtfully as he examined her belongs with clinically cold eyes.

Gruffly Theodus took Luna and threw her over his shoulder. _Did she just say something?_ He paused and when he didn't hear a peep he knew she still out. _Malfoy Manor._ Theodus thought as he turned on his heel and apparated.

 _..._

 **December 28th, 1997**

 **The Countryside**

"Hermione! Mione! Wait!" Ron ducked as Hermione picked up yet another pot and hurled it in his direction, hair sparking. _Bloody menace. Oh bloody hell._

"You left, Ronald! You left and you think you can just waltz back in here like everything is fine and dandy?" Hermione snarled, whirling around on Harry. "Where's my wand? Harry! Harry, give me my wand!" Hermione demanded. Harry shrunk backwards, the wand felt as if it was burning in his back pocket, he raised his hands in surrender. Hermione clearly not impressed leapt forward to try and take it from him. But Ron's voice stopped her.

"I'm sorry. I really am. It's just, can I at least explain?" Ron winced as Hermione shot him a deadly glare.

"I was jealous of you and Harry-"

"Which was ridiculous, Harry is like my brother," Hermione snorted.

"I know that now, I do...I even know about - well - Malfoy," Ron let the verbal bomb drop, Hermione's eyes widened in a panic as she tried to meet the redhead's eyes. As if she would be able to ascertain what he was thinking. "At first I was confused, then I was angry. After though I realised if I really love you, then you being happy should be my top priority. I may not like him very much, but if you love him then there has to be something good about the ferret. So I'll give him a chance, for your sake," Ron rubbed the back of his head, a sheepish look on his face as he warily met Hermione's gaze. She was crying. Disbelief splayed across her face as hot tears steadily rolled down her cheeks.

"Do you mean that?" She whispered, her voice shaking. Ron could see her hands trembling as they were folded over her chest and clutching at the fabric of her sweater sleeves.

"I do. We're best mates, Mione. I'm always going to support you."

"Thank you, Ron." Hermione sniffed, swiping at her nose which had turned red from the cold and her crying. "You did leave us though. What have you been doing all this time?"

"I went to...Bill and Fleur's new home. Where I saw Ginny," at the mention of Ron's younger sister, Harry's head snapped up. "She's undercover at Hogwarts. Things there are bad. Malfoy, Nott and Zabini are having a hard time keeping things afloat on their end, last I heard."

"What do you mean?" Hermione frowned, tucking a curl behind her ear.

"Didn't you know? They're spies for the Order. They risk their necks every day to try and make sure to keep as many people alive as they can." Ron paused at Hermione's concerned look, but continued shortly thereafter, "it's one of the reasons that I decided to give him a chance. Especially since he, Nott, Zabini and Ginny have been living together since Bill's wedding. Gin vouched for him."

Harry's eyebrows rose at that, shoving his hands into his jean pockets, a pensive look soon covering his face. "Why would she do that?"

"I think she'd want to tell you but-" Ron saw the pleading look in Harry's eyes and his resolve almost broke right there, he had opened his mouth enough though. Not telling Harry would be cruel. He glanced at Hermione, who's bottom lip was caught beneath her top one, she gave him a curt nod. Taking a deep breath Ron answered Harry slowly, "because she's in love with Nott. Has been for at almost a year I gather."

"I see," Harry said tightly, his jaw clenched, his features clearly saying that he was unsure how he felt about the revelation. "You were telling us about where you were," Harry cleared his throat loudly, urging Ron to change the subject.

"I stayed at a muggle inn when I was laying low, keeping my ears opened. What I did find though was a group of Snatchers. I managed to get away, told them I was Stan Stunpike, nicked an extra wand as well." At that Harry brightened considerably, if Ron had an extra wand then that meant he might be able to use it. Hermione was really kind to share hers with his; but even if it wasn't his wand, having his own would be a huge weight off of his mind. "Then there I was early Christmas morning, listening out as I had been. Then I heard both of your voices, I got this feeling. This urgent need to pull out the Deluminator, and this light came out of it...it showed me the way to you, Harry. Down by the water. I saw the silver doe and next thing I knew I saw you diving into the water."

"That sounds a bit mental," Harry said what he and Hermione were both thinking.

"It's what happened. Harry, about six, almost seven years ago...did you believe any of this was possible? Magic? Wizards?" Ron asked.

"Fair enough. There are some things that just can't be explained I suppose."

"I think I need to go and lie down," Hermione let out a haggard sigh. Yanking the hair tie out of her hair, she let in fall in loose curls down her back. "I'm...I'm glad you're back, Ron." Hermione smiled weakly, before turning on her heel. When she reached the tent flap however she paused, and coldly said, "I do expect you'll pick up all the pots and pans." With that she let out a soft 'hmph', and ducked into the tent.

"She's not serious? Being with Malfoy's made her barmy," Ron grumbled as he leaned down to his left and grabbed the pot next to him, dusting off the snow roughly.

"She's dead serious and you know it. Heck it could have been worse. She could have tried to actually hit you," Harry told his friend in comfort, walking over to him and patting his shoulder lightly.

"She was trying to hit me!" Ron protested in confusion.

"Ron, you and I both know. If she wanted to hit you, she would have."

...

 **December 30th, 1997**

 **Malfoy Manor**

Enough was enough. She was sick and tired of it. Wars usually panned out over years, but if she had to live through this one more day, she was going to go insane. Everything she had ever known was a lie. The way she had been raised, with her parents telling her that she was special to be a Pureblood; that Muggleborns, or Mudbloods as they had disdainful referred to them, and Half-Bloods were filth and scum. Well right now _she_ was the one who felt like filth and scum. The line had been crossed. No. It had been bloody vaulted over. Throwing all care out of the window without abandon. When she woke up, Flitty her personal house elf, stumbled over her words as she told her Mistress that Luna Lovegood was locked in a cellar.

Narcissa stalked through her house in a rage, ignoring any Death Eaters that were hanging about. She had a mission and she was going to damn well complete it. She would play the role of a good Pureblood wife in public, but right now the hell with it. Narcissa was out for blood. She stopped in front of the dark stained door that she was looking for, the intricate silver knocker just above her head. She reached up and banged it loudly, incessantly. Moments later the door swung open and she was greeted by the slightly gaunt, bearded face of her husband. The pungent odour of the room hit her senses almost immediately, curling her lip in disgust she brushed past him as opposed to recoiling like she wanted to. "It is grimy and nasty in here."

"Thank you." Lucius said blankly, closing and locking the door behind him. There were silencing spells on the room, so Narcissa was highly comfortable with screaming until her lungs burned.

"This is not right," Narcissa started simply.

"I don't kno-"

"That's bullshit. You may not know exactly what's going on outside this room since you never bloody leave, but you have a damn good idea." Narcissa snarled, moving a pile of plates from the chair in front of Lucius desk, moving them to the wooden surface in front of her. She scrutinised the chair, "scourigfy," she flicked her wand at it, hopefully cleaning off the stench and musk.

"What are you on about, Cissa?" Lucius said tiredly, moving in front of her and leaning against the desk as she saw down and stared at him. It had been months since she had a proper conversation with her husband, much less touch him; she was very, very aware of his proximity. He may smell funny, have a scraggly beard, unkempt hair, and look like a mess, but she still loved him. Which is why it pained her to see him like this.

"Luna Lovegood. Xenophilius' daughter is locked in a cellar."

"Why?"

"I don't bloody well know. She's a _Pureblood,_ Lucius. The 'Dark Lord' speaks about bloody purity, we were taught about bloody purity before we could walk or talk. Yet, it has taken me this long to figure out that it's a load of shit." Narcissa growled lowly.

Lucius' eyes widened, looking positively dumbstruck. Narcissa however, was only now getting started. "I'm sick of this shit. I believed in all the teachings of my parents, but do you know what I found out from Draco? Who by the way is involved with Miss Granger," ignoring the dangerous flash that went through Lucius' eyes she carried on swiftly. "Miss Granger had been doing some research, and she's not one hundred per cent sure, but she thinks Muggleborns are descendants from Squibs. Which even if they aren't, how exactly are eleven year olds stealing our magic? All of the bullshit we were tau-"

"Cissa," Lucius growled, leaning toward her menacingly, one hand on either of the chair's arms. Narcissa was not even the slightest bit fazed.

"NO. FUCK Blood Purity. This is all it's gotten me. Misery. Pain. A son who may die any day. A husband who drinks away his days, smelling like a dump, and not being able to pick himself up and pull himself together to support his family. I'm hanging on my the skin of my teeth. I want that murderous asshole dead. I want him gone. I want my son to be happy. I am sick of this damn well shit. There is nothing wrong with Miss Granger, much like there isn't anything wrong with other Muggleborns, squibs, muggles for Circe's sake. I'm done. I will play my part, but trust me. If I have the chance to get rid of the bastard that has invaded my home and forced my son into servitude then you're damn straight I'll take it," Narcissa huffed in agitation. Crossing her legs and folding her arms over her chest stubbornly.

"I've never heard you curse so much."

"I've never needed to," she replied coldly.

"I can't just...I can't just change overnight, Cissa."

"I know, but by the time this war is over, I hope for your sake that you will," Narcissa said quietly.

"I didn't want all of this," Lucius said in a broken tone, hands moving to cover his face. Narcissa's heart went out to him, and before she knew it, despite the stench, filth and dirtiness of her husband she wrapped him in her arms. _I know you didn't, love. You were young last time, your ideals were different, you had no idea. When he returned, you were happy at first but then slowly but surely things began to change. For all of us. After the Department of Mysteries...that was a rude awakening. We may have made horribly misguided choices based on what we believed, but maybe, just maybe there is redemption for us yet._

* * *

 **It is a little short, but I had time this morning to write, so I did. Like I said, expect chapter every other Monday for this story.**

 **I just updated Fall Through Time a couple days ago, and I started a new time travel fic like I said. 'Time Travel? Piece of Cake.' It's another Marauders fic, except...they come forward in time. It's also a SiriusxHermione, just a warning. The chapters are short but will probably come out faster that way tbh.**

 **Anywhoooo.**

 **LOVE YOU.**

 **Indieblue xx**


	12. Hold Me Tight

**Surprise! It's almost Monday right? I don't know how hectic things are going to get yet, but when they do I'll let you know. I promise. When they do my update schedule on my profile will probably behow I update and so on and so forth. Otherwise my tumblr would be a great place to ask me questions/ get in touch with me :) indiebluecrown. tumblr. com**

 **This chapter is a wee bit short, but after this we're getting straight back into the action. I was thinking about having a couple Luna perspectives up until Easter break...when all that 'lovely' stuff happens. I'll figure that out later.**

 **Right. Sorry for any spelling mistakes/ missing words, I'll have to go back and fix that over the nezt few days. I hope you enjoy the chapter x**

 **Chic. Geek. Fangirl. Freak: HAAAAIIIII. Yayyyy you're back. It's GREAT news that you didn't die! I understand the struggle, school has been pretty chill so far for me, thank goodness. Probably won't stay that way though. I think it's cause all they remember is him leaving in the seventh book, which is sad. Totally skipping over the fact that he stood up to Sirius when he thought he wanted to murder Harry, and told him that he'd have to kill him first. I think that everyone is capable of change, especially since Narcissa lied to the Dark Lord about Harry being dead. So to me it's highly plausible that they both changed for the better.**

 **I'm SO glad you liked them :D honestly it makes me incredibly happy! Yepp definitely missed you :p**

 **Loveee you xxx**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling and only the storyline is mine.**

* * *

 **Flashback**

 **December 26th, 1997**

"LET GO OF ME!" Ginny screamed at Theo, his strong arms wrapped around her. "Blaise, give me back my fucking wand. Blaise! Blaise!" The rage filled tears streamed down her face as she struggled to get free.

"Red, I want to go find her as much as you do, but Dray went and checked it out. It was Theodus' men out cold in Lu's house," Blaise made a cautious step in the redhead's direction. He reached up to shift her hair out of her face, but quickly recoiled when she snapped her head up biting at the air where his fingers had just been.

"Blaise, let me..." Theo drifted off, Blaise looked conflicted momentarily before running his fingers through his hair in resignation. As much as he wanted to help he couldn't. Theo was their best bet to calming her down.

Theo waited until Blaise had closed their bedroom door behind him with a soft click. Theo managed to walk over to the bed even with Ginny kicking out and fussing something terrible. When he finally reached the side of the bed, he threw her onto it. Nothing soft or sweet. That's not what she needed right now, and even though he had his moments it wasn't who he was. "Ginevra!"

The use of her given name seemed to clear her emotion driven state; her cloudy, glazed eyes peering up at him. She looked so broken and small. Her ginger hair seemed fall limply down her back, loosing it's sheen. "She's my best friend...if...Alecto does such horrid things within the school...then can you imagine what they'll do to her in Malfoy Manor? Where...that _bastard_ is operating from." Ginny whimpered.

Theo bent his knee and lifted onto the bed. He hated that he couldn't do anything to help or comfort her in anyway. Closing his eyes for a moment and breathing in deeply he climbed onto the bed, kneeling in front of her. "Draco says that he'll go and talk to his Mother in a few days, once the hype dies down, and talk to her about watching after Luna." Ginny seemed to perk up at that.

"Narcissa will?"

"Aunt Cissa is changing, she doesn't believe in blood purity anymore...even...even Lucius seems to be coming around," Theo smiled softly when Ginny snorted. _That's my girl._

"That'll be the day," Ginny laughed lightly. It wasn't as vibrant as usual, where she ended up with hair in her face, snorting in between laughs and clutching her sides, but it was good enough for now.

Theo's face took on a more tender expression when Ginny pulled him into her, and they fell gently sideways on the bed. Their breathing slow, in sync, and she closed her eyes, emotionally exhausted.

Soon she was fast asleep in his arms, and he realised just how much he missed this. Holding her, breathing in her minty smell, her slender arms thrown around him. She was a bit thinner than before, but it was probably because of how stress filled this past month had been. He detested the fact that he could feel her ribs protruding slightly under her white jumper. As if he could break her, his fingers ran through her hair with a feather light fingertips. _I don't know what Voldemort wants from Luna, but I figure it can't be good._ Soon he too was lulled to sleep by the soft slumbering sounds next to him; nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck, and felt her arms tighten instinctively around him. The last thing he saw was the snow piling up on the windowsill. Nature oblivious to their pain and grief, carrying on with its' tasks.

...

"Red is really torn up inside," Blaise reported to Draco when the blonde opened the door to the cottage, turning around to shake the snow off the top of his head. Rubbing his hands together as he shut the door behind him.

"We're all pretty torn up inside," Draco murmured, bending down to unlace his boots, straightening up and kicking them off. Using his feet to guide them to sit neatly beside the door, next to the other three's shoes.

"What the hell could he possibly want Lovegood for?" Blaise thought aloud, putting the firewhisky bottle to his lips and tilting his head back, letting the amber liquid burn a trail down his throat.

"No clue," Draco frowned, moving over to the cabinet that they had placed a cooling charm on, to keep their perishables cold. Retching open the cabinet with a bit more force than necessary he pulled a Butterbeer out and popped the cap off. "I went to the Manor, sent Theo a Patronus as well-"

"We got it, it threw Red into a frenzy," Blaise said dryly, staring morosely at the almost empty bottle. A few drops remained in the bottom; this was his second bottle for the day.

"You're going to die if you don't lighten up how much of that you drink."

"Do you know how hard it is to drink yourself to death if you're one of us, Dray?"

"Never needed to the know the statistic, though I'm sure you do."

"An unfathomable amount of alcohol would have to be in your system."

"Right, as I was saying. Getting Mum alone right now is going to be difficult, I don't think she even knows that Luna is there," Draco clenched his jaw, heading over to the couch and sitting next to Blaise. They always seemed to end up right back here. Especially after things went to shit. Which was happening more and more frequently as of late.

"Do you know where they're holding her?" Blaise asked reticently, barely above a whisper as he stared with dull eyes at the coffee table.

"The cellars I think," Draco answered tightly. After he had failed to kill Dumbledore, the Dark Lord locked him down there for almost two weeks. It wasn't a pleasant place to say the least. He would never wish that darkness on anyone. Days ran into nights, minutes became hours, hours felt endless. You began to question who you were and if anything was real, or if it ever had been. Things started to form from the shadows, taunting horrible things praying on your fears. Luna was stronger than him, he knew that, but who knew how long she was going to be trapped in there.

If it weren't for Hermione it surely would have driven him mad, all he could do now, was hope that Luna had something similar to cling to. It wasn't the darkness that scared him, as much as what came with it.

"When are we going to stop losing people?"

"Stop talking about her like she's dead," Draco snarled, angrily chugging some of his Butterbeer.

"Until we get her back, that's how we need...that's how we need to start thinking about her or we won't be able to handle it if she actually does..." Blaise rasped, bloodshot eyes, his free hand thrust into his curls, holding on for dear life.

"The Dark Lord gave me a new task," Draco said, trying to change the topic; Blaise faced him, eyes curious and filled with trepidation.

"What kind of task?" Blaise asked fearfully.

"Let's just say, if I don't succeed then I'm dead."

* * *

 **Draco's task is going to be a real kicker.**

 **I hope Ginny's anguish was conveyed properly, my heary broke a little bit for my normally firecracker ginger.**

 **By now you probably noticed that Blaise may have a weeee bit of a drinking problem. An intervention will be put in place later.**

 **Seriously thank you so, so much to everyone who reads this story xxx**

 **Love you,**

 **Indieblue xx**


	13. Wrong

**Hello!**

 **This chapter is all kinds of something, apologising in advance for a certain witch, and her deranged tendencies.**

 **So there is a bit of flashback-ing in the beginning, dates are reaaallly important, sorry if it comes off as a little confusing, I did the best I could to make it flow as well as it could. The scene with Narcissa in the Manor, before, may throw you off. Whilst that was happening, Harry, Luna and Ron were at Xenophilius Lovegood's house. Again, if it gets too confusing maybe reading the previous chapter will help? Though if it is waaay too confusing then I'll go back and fix it.**

 **It's a couple hours away from Monday, but here you go! Sunday Funday chapter :D**

 **I think one part of this chapter will be particularly frustrating, at least I think it will be. SO close, yet so far!**

 **Right, this chapter starts on December 26th, 1997, where Blaise and Draco were talking. It picks up right where we left off.**

 **Again. Sorry.**

 **chic. geek. fangirl. freak: I love Blaise so much, you would not believe. My poor Italian. I definitely love the boys though, and just how mcuh they love and care about Luna and Ginny. There's a bit more Neville in this chapter, so I hope you like that! I agree, all of the boys need happiness, especially Blaise. I'm so glad you liked the chapter! Also, questions are answered :D I hope it's not too anti-climatic. Anyways, all the love xxx Enjoy the chapter *covers eyes nervously***

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the storyline is mine.**

* * *

 **Previously...**

 _"The Dark Lord gave me a new task," Draco said, trying to change the topic; Blaise faced him, eyes curious and filled with trepidation._

 _"What kind of task?" Blaise asked fearfully._

 _"Let's just say, if I don't succeed then I'm dead._

* * *

 **Moments Later…**

"When you say 'dead', what do you mean exactly?" Blaise hissed, slamming his bottle onto the coffee table.

Draco's forehead crinkled and then he began to recount the events that happened over the last few hours.

* * *

"Draco!" Bellatrix screeched as he walked down one of the corridors in the West Wing if the house, a few more steps and he might have been able to sneak up to his parent's-Mother's room. His pale face twisted in frustration. Draco began to breathe in and out slowly. Relaxing the muscles in his face, and then turning to face his Aunt.

Draco used every bit of control that he could to stop himself from grimacing at her attire. She had definitely just come from a meeting with the Dark Lord, that or she was on her way to one. Bellatrix's black dress was low cut, the bodice tight, with long sleeves that were loose as they reached her elbows. The shirt flared out and was made of several layers of transparent chiffon. "Yes, Aunt Bella?"

"The Dark Lord wishes to see you. He was going to summon you soon, but as you are here you might as well go now," Bellatrix said coldly, waving her hand dismissively.

"He doesn't particularly like people dropping in on him...are you sure I shouldn't wait?" Draco asked coolly. Tapping his forefinger against his thigh. The last thing he wanted was to talk to Voldemort; he wanted to stun Bellatrix, and get Luna, his Mother and his Father out of this diseased house. That however was unwise and rash; they would be dead before they could reach the cottage.

"YES. NOW GO!" Bellatrix screamed, stomping her foot petulantly.

Draco decided arguing with his Aunt was not worth the time or the energy that it would drain away from him. She had a short temper and when things bored her she tended to rid herself of them.

Draco brushed past his Aunt quickly, feeling her gaze burning into the back of him.

It took Draco fifteen minutes to get there. Voldemort hadn't summoned him yet, so he had a bit of time before he would be expecting him. On his way he looked out for any signs of where Luna would be; nothing. Not a single clue as to where she could be.

Draco hesitated by the door before he went in. The smell of rotting flesh was spilling through the cracks, and he was attempting to extend the time before he had to go inside. Taking a deep breath of clean air, expanding his lungs to full capacity; he rapped his knuckles onto the door. Immediately they flung open, Draco's eyes became itchy and began to water instantly.

"Young Mister Draco. I was just about to summon you. Come in, come in," Voldemort said with something akin to childlike excitement; dread spread through his body like wildfire, ice water flowing through his veins.

"Aunt Bella informed me, I just saw her," Draco nodded curtly, hands behind his back as he entered the dim room. Draco hears Nagini hiss and a quick glance confirmed that she was slithering around in a desecrated carcass in far left corner of the room.

"You are close to the young Nott, yes?" Voldemort asked, red eyes scrutinising Draco as he interlocked his fingers and held them to his stomach.

"We're friendly," Draco answered indifferently. Voldemort seemed to accept that answer, then a broad smile spread over his snakelike features, stretching his thin skin over the bones that jutted out of his face.

"I told Theodus that I would look into his daughter's disappearance if I could. I haven't the time unfortunately, but that's why you are here."

"You want me to look for Gwendolyn Nott?" Draco frowned in faux confusion.

"Theodore told me she died, years ago."

"Theodore was misinformed, until a few months ago she was alive and well," Voldemort said calmly, his smile fading, "however it seems she may have escaped the area she was being held in for treason."

"Treason?"

"I'm sorry m'boy. That part is confidential. I want you to go to the area and look around, see if there is anything suspicious. She may be dead, I warn you. The body of course would be crucial. In order for the Notts to bury her and have a proper ceremony." Voldemort almost sounded like he cared, but Draco knew better. This was a test.

"I would be working on this full time then?"

"I will let Severus know. I think twenty days is enough. After that I will tell Theodus that she died," Voldemort said with cold eyes.

"Is there anything else, m'lord?"

"No. That will be all, take a few days to get your affairs in order, and then I will expect you to begin." Voldemort said in a hard tone.

"Yes, m'lord."

"You are dismissed."

* * *

"On my way out, I overhead one of the Snatchers milling about saying something about the cellars," Draco explained.

Blaise had been silent the entire Draco spoke, but now he had plenty to say.

"We need to tell, Theo."

"We can't-"

"She is his sister, we need to!" Blaise growled ferociously. "How would you feel if Theo knew where Hermione was, and he decided not to tell you? It would ruin our friendship, it would ruin everything! You can't just not tell him. We would be worst than scum." Draco flinched at Blaise's words but held fast on his stance on the situation.

"We tell him, he'll want to go. The Dark Lord is making this a test. It's meant to see if I'm really loyal to the cause. Theo won't be able to see reason or think rationally about this." Draco stopped to look Blaise in the eyes, "I don't care if he hates me, as long as he's safe then nothing else matters. You're both my family, and if after the twenty days is up, I'm not back...then you can tell him." Draco purposefully left out the, "I'll probably be dead," bit that would have been tacked on to the end of that sentence.

"I don't like it."

"Neither do I. The first thing I wanted to do was run and tell him, but I can't. It's not safe. Not for any of us. His _Darkness_ thinks anything is amiss and he'll start watching us closer. You know better than I do, that we can't have that."

"So what do you plan to tell Theo when he asks what you're twenty day task is?" Blaise drawled sourly.

"I don't know. For the first time in my life, I think I'm going to have to lie to him," Draco flinched when Blaise threw his hand out and sent the bottle flying across the room.

"Why is it all going to shit?" Blaise asked, head in his hands.

Draco didn't have anything to say, he sat heavily on the couch next to Blaise, and slowly wrapped his arm around Blaise's shoulders. He had nothing to offer his sobbing friend besides a shoulder to lean on. He absolutely hated it. Hated that one of his best friends was slowly being broken by war. War that was chipping away at his soul, piece by piece. Draco clenched his eyes together tightly as he tried to picture them all happy and carefree. With Voldemort dead and gone. It was a delusional fantasy. One where they all lived. Draco wasn't that naΪve. It was war; there are always casualties.

* * *

 **December 27th, 1997**

The lanky trees were clumped together tightly, making it hard to see if anything was approaching, but Sirius had been prepared and threw up temporary wards that would inform him if anyone passed through them. The ground was covered in a thick layer of snow, only blemished by the two sets of footprints coming from two separate and distinct directions. Snow was falling softly through the barren tree branches, a cushion of white powder on both male's heads; one raven the other almost as pale as the snow itself.

"You don't have to go y'know?" Sirius winced.

"I have to. This is something I need to do...can you not tell Theo, at least not yet," Draco asked with sorrow filled eyes.

"It is his sister, so if you aren't back in twenty days...I'm telling him. Also your bloody insane," Sirius grinned, his bright smile lightening up the situation a fraction. "Who knew you had it in you. I love it."

"Hermione would kill me if she knew what I was getting myself into," Draco snorted.

"Do it. It may possibly get you killed yes...but can you imagine just how infuriated that little spitfire will be?" Sirius chuckled heartily.

"You're a bit nuts, you know that?" Draco shook his head, leaning against one of the trees in the forest.

"It's in the blood. Some of us get a little bit of crazy whilst others," Sirius gestured his hands up and down as if weighing a scale, the corners of his lips turned down.

"You mean like Bell-"

"That deranged bitch!" Sirius cursed loudly, brow crinkled.

"Guessing that's a yes."

"She almost killed me with that ruddy killing curse. Avada Kedavra my pearly white assssssss," Sirius hissed angrily.

"Ignoring that last bit. Do you have any news for me on Hermione and Potter's movements?" Draco asked hesitantly. His bond with Hermione was still there, warm in his chest. Some days it felt stronger than usual, today was one of those days.

"Why did you choose this place is more important question. The Forest of Dean is a pretty random place," Sirius frowned, looking around them.

"Not sure. I felt..." _drawn here_.

"Oh right. Well, no news about them since they left Godric's Hollow, but I did hear a whisper of a whisper that Ron is close to finding them. Not sure of course. He's been good and hiding himself despite not having Hermione with him." Sirius nodded in approval.

"At least there's that, the sooner he finds them the better," Draco sighed, pushing off of the tree. His boots crunching through the snow as he moved closer to Sirius. "This'll be the last time you see me...maybe even ever. Any last words, Black?" Draco attempted to joke weakly.

"I'm going to miss making jokes about how if you didn't wear so much black you'd blend right into the snow," Sirius clapped Draco on the shoulder, "and you're stronger than you think."

"That was surprisingly...nice of you," Draco said in a shocked tone.

"Whaaaat? I'm the epitome of nice and friendly."

"Whatever, Black. I best get going. Soon my absence will be noticed, and we can't have that," Draco said with a pained expression.

" _Siriusly_. Be careful. I have so many more jokes up my sleeve."

"I will. If...if I don't. Then take care of them. Especially Blaise. Everything is falling apart right now, and I don't want to be the reason he breaks. I know his death would cripple me, so please. Please," Draco said quietly, wringing his hands together.

"I promise." Sirius replied immediately, no hesitation in his tone.

"Thank you," Draco smiled gratefully, extending a hand to shake Sirius' hand. Sirius scoffed, rolled his eyes and then yanked Draco into a tight hug.

"You're not the little shit I thought you were, or at least you are no longer the little shit that you used to be," Sirius clapped him on the back a couple times before releasing the gobsmacked blonde.

"Gee, thanks," Draco said sardonically, with a light smirk.

As the two males said their goodbyes, a torn youth was peeking at them through the trees. Hidden away, his glasses perched on the bridge of his nose whilst he pondered whether he should go over to them or not. Bright green eyes widened significantly as they parted ways and the raven haired man began to walk away, hand raised in a goodbye as he apparated away. Any chance that the boy with the lightning scar had to stop the blonde was swiftly running away from him, he opened his mouth, but his hesitation caused him to miss his opportunity, "MAL-" maybe the blonde caught the noise from the frown on his face, but he turned and with a loud pop he was gone from the clearing. Leaving the observing raven haired boy with a guilty conscience and a troubled heart.

* * *

 **December 31st, 1997**

"I can't believe that You-Know-Who took Luna because her father was supporting Harry openly at the ministry," Hermione scowled, brow furrowed with worry as she thought of the fair haired Ravenclaw. Throwing her hand into her pocket, her fingers curled around the fake galleon, and sent her message. _Luna?_ Draco may know something.

"Maybe Malfoy knows something?" Ron said after a few moments, tiredly sitting down, back against a tree. Hermione swore she saw a flash of guilt cross Harry's face, but she threw it out of her mind, why would mentioning Draco make Harry feel guilty? It didn't make sense.

Then the coin started to burn in her pocket, and her heart leapt at the thought. Things had been so hectic the past few weeks, she hadn't the chance to communicate with him like this until now. She froze when she pulled it out of her pocket and looked at the answer. Immediately feeling sick at how long it was. Something was wrong. _Manor. This is Blaise. Draco is on a mission._

 _What kind of mission?_ She bit her lip anxiously, collapsing next to Ron, leaning her head on his shoulder and trying to breathe. Draco told her, promised and swore that he would keep it with him at all time, unless things got really bad.

 _The kind that makes me want to hug him and kill him._ Hermione marvelled at the tiny script, fascinated with how Blaise managed to answer the question without telling her anything.

 _Blaise._

This time it took longer for the Slytherin to reply. Ron sensing her distress, put his arm around her shoulder and began to tell her inconsequential stories about when they were separated. She wasn't listening to a lick of it, but it provided soothing background noise, and Ron seemed to understand that that was exactly what she needed. When the metal heated up against her palm, she took a deep breath. _He's going to get back Gwen._

 _Gwen?_

Blaise answered instantaneously, _Theo's sister. He'll be fine. He's Dray._

Blaise sounded like he was trying to convince himself, and that in turn provided no comfort to her frayed nerves.

 _Got to go. Duty calls._

Hermione tried to properly picture the boy on the other side of the coin, but fuzzy images that didn't add up came to the forefront of her mind. She had seen him a couple times in passing, but she couldn't recall one instance where she had a conversation with the Slytherin before now. From what she gleaned from Ron, and the fact that Draco had given the coin to Blaise; she came to the conclusion that he was a good person. _I'd very much like to meet him._ Hermione glanced up and saw harry pacing back and forth. Since yesterday all he had talked about was the Deathly Hallows, and a fire had been lit somewhere in him to find the remaining horcruxes. _I get this dreadful feeling in the pit of my stomach that this has only just begun._

* * *

 **January 7th, 1998**

 **Hogwarts Express**

"It feels wrong." Ginny whispered, hand propped on the armrest, staring dully out of the window.

"I know how you feel, but we can't let this beat us. We need to keep fighting, Ginny." Neville said in an encouraging tone, Ginny's eyes darted to him and she could see how much this was affecting him.

Shifting from her side of the compartment so she was seated beside him, she took up her position against the window, but this time she silently took his larger, rougher hand in hers and squeezed lightly.

"Luna is strong. She'll survive whatever they throw at her," Neville said in a deceptively convincing tone. _She'll survive, but that's not what I'm scared of. I'm scared of what they are going to do to her._ Ginny breathed out heavily through her nostrils, and hoped that Theo and Blaise's day was going better than hers; though she doubted it. Daphne was ignoring Blaise, and Pansy was always prattling on about one stupid thing or another. Plus who knew how long it would take Crabbe and Goyle to say something stupid enough for Theo to hex one of them.

* * *

Theo wanted to tear his ears off. If only to make the shrill noise of Pansy's annoying nasal voice disappear. _This is absolute fucking torture. I almost wish I got Draco's task. Whatever it is. He was being vague and cryptic about it. Must not be very pleasant._

Theo looked to his left where Blaise was sitting, and was immediately amused despite their circumstances. Blaise was glaring murderously at Pansy; who merely thought he was raptly paying attention to the drab drivel that she was spouting.

 _Merlin, I should have brought some of Blaise's Firewhisky with me, at least it would have made this dismal train ride bearable. I don't even know why we're on this bloody train in the first place._ Theo turned his attention to the scenery flying by outside, his thoughts drowning out Pansy's incessant prattling. _I hope Red is doing okay._

* * *

 **January 8th, 1998**

 **Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

 **Muggle Studies Classroom**

The ink bottle clattered onto the stone floor. Slicing sharply through the dead silence, Neville flinched. Currently Alecto was frozen with her back to them, she had been staring at the blackboard for a good ten minutes; it was the first indication that things were about to take a turn for the worst.

"What was that?" Alecto asked primly. Neville couldn't see her face, but he could already picture the glee that flew onto it when she got to 'discipline someone'. The room remained as silent as a graveyard, and Alecto, clearly unimpressed, whirled around suddenly.

"I said. _What. Was. That?_ " Alecto snarled, drawing her wand out of her robe pocket. Today she was wearing revealing lace robes like she always did, but instead of black, they were a maroon colour. She had chopped all of her hair off, and now it was only a couple inches long, slicked backwards.

 _She's going to punish everyone soon._ "It was an ink bottle...m'am," Neville gritted out the last word, it grated on him that he had to use a semi-respectful tone when talking to her, but if he didn't she was only get worse.

'Is that so, Bottom?" Alecto licked her lips, heels clicking as she moved over to his desk. Placing her hands flat on it, as she bent over slightly and met Neville's defiant gaze. "Whose was it?"

"I don't know."

"Liar," Alecto whispered with a hiss as she winked at Neville. The urge to vomit was a real problem that he dealt with whenever he looked at Alecto. He was learning to bury his hatred for her, so he could look at every situation with a clear head.

It happened so fast. Neville didn't even blink before she had non-verbally made his head slam forward full force onto his desk. She was breathing a bit harder than usual; which meant that whilst she could use non-verbal spells, she wasn't particularly good at it. Withdrawing her wand she stopped in between the four desks around the ink bottle. Hannah Abbott, Ernie MacMillan, Anthony Goldstein and Parvati Patil.

"Which one of you was it?" She asked sweetly. The four of them squared their jaws and stared forward defiantly, refusing to give up who it was. "No one want to answer? All right. Detention for all four of you tonight."

Neville sucked in a harsh breath when he raised his pounding head. He didn't know what came over him, but with blurry vision, in a voice that seemed to linger in the room, he said, "It was mine."

Hannah swivelled in her seat, wincing when she saw the huge, red bump on Neville's forehead. "It was mine!" She pressed her lip together into a thin line.

"Fine, detention for the both of you, tonight. Seven o'clock sharp," Alecto looked triumphantly at Neville, and it occurred to him that that was what she wanted from the beginning. To get him in detention. Maybe she did deserve to have been in Slytherin after all. That didn't change the fact that she was a prime example of why the Slytherins had such a bad name. Neville had grown to know a few Slytherins this year, and because of that he learned that they weren't all bad. Heck they were some of the best people he knew now. He would die to protect them, and he knew they would do the same.

One thing Neville was not looking forward to however, was spending his evening with the deranged Slytherin that was currently carrying on class as if nothing had happened.

* * *

 **Later that Evening,** Neville met up with Hannah outside of the classroom, five minutes to. His heart was hammering out of his chest, he had avoided detention with Alecto for over a month, and even though she tormented him otherwise, it had almost been blissful whilst it lasted. Hannah's eyes were wide, rubbing her thighs together nervously as she shifted back and forth, clenching and unclenching her hands. It was her first time, and seeing how bold Alecto was earlier, she certainly wasn't going to have an easy go of it this time.

"How are you so calm?" Hannah whispered anxiously, peering up at him.

"I'm not, to be honest," Neville admitted, hand on his nape as he rubbed at his tense muscles. "She likes to see you lose it, it gets her off or something. The less reaction, the more she'll try to get it out of you, but the sooner it'll be over. She gets bored quickly."

"What does she make you do-"

"Don't just stand there, go inside," A deep voice rumbled behind them, it was one of the voices from Neville's nightmares. Facing them was a challenge every time, but then he remembered his parents and his Gran, and he stood up to them despite how scared he was.

"Amycus," Neville said dryly, not turning around. Sighing he rapped his knuckles on the door twice and then pushed them inwards. Hannah was clinging to the bottom of his jumper and walking closely behind him.

"Ooooo I'm so excited," Alecto licked her fingers, dressed in nothing but a lacy black panty, black see through lace bra, and open dark green robes. Blue black stilettos strapped to her feet; she flicked her wand and the door slammed shut with finality behind Amycus. Who was standing, arms crossed, against the wall just to the left of the door.

"Bottom," Alecto sneered, "Take off your top layers and go sit in that chair. _I can take them off or she can...I want to say no, because I won't be bossed around like this, but it will only rile her up, which isn't good._

"What? You can't do-"

" _Silencio_!" Alecto screamed in Hannah's direction, the girl flinched backwards, mouth moving but no sound coming out.

"Let's get this over with," Neville grunted to himself, quickly removing his jumper and trousers, folding them carelessly and plopping them next to his shoes. He raised his chin high as he audaciously met her eye.

"Go sit in the chair over there," Alecto pointed in the corner of the room where most of her 'punishments' usually occurred; he moved slow enough to maintain his pride, but not quick enough to stroke her ego or annoy her. _Hannah, please, please don't resist._

"Girl, do the same," Alecto strolled languidly over to her, waving her wand and summoning her long leather whip. Neville had no idea where she kept them, but it flew down from the Defense teacher's office, and landed neatly in her awaiting right hand. Alecto was left-handed, but if she wanted to, she could use her right well enough.

Hannah shook her head violently, mouth moving in frantic desperation, the colour draining from her face. Alecto breathed in deeply and then sighed, her shoulders moving up and down, she lowered her face and then flung her right hand out, the whip wrapped tightly around Hannah's hand and Alecto began to walk over to where Neville was. Heels clicking. _Click, clop, click, clop_. It was like a clock, and his time was running out. Amycus pushed off of the wall, grabbing one of the chairs from the classroom's desk and dragging it behind him. When he was about ten feet away, he sat down on it backwards, hands folded along the top, staring with dull eyes at the scene before him.

Alecto threw Hannah onto the ground at Neville's feet, but he daren't look down before Alecto punished him and Hannah for it. "Stand up, strip down to your bloody knickers before I do it for you," Alecto said vehemently. _Not good, she's getting pissed off._ "Wasting my fucking time, this detention only lasts two hours, that's a good fifteen minutes gone right there." Neville had to do something, and he had to do it fast. Risking the repercussions, he glanced at Hannah, who was now staring up at him with fearful eyes, he nodded his head a fraction of an inch, and she closed her eyes, mouth twisted in a silent whimper.

Hannah stood up, and she bit her lip as she reached behind her and unzipped her dress, sliding the straps off of her shoulders, and then biting down hard as it slipped off of her and pooled around her feet. _I'm so sorry, Hannah. Fuck Alecto, I've never wanted anything bad to happen to anyone, but if I did, it would be her._

" _Imperio_ ," Alecto smirked, wand still pointed at Hannah, as the girl's eyes glazed over and her hands fell limply to her sides. "Go over and straddle Longbottom over there." Alecto let out a high pitched cackle when Hannah began to move and crawled onto Neville's lap, straddling him.

" _Incarcerous_!" Alecto giggled as the thick ropes shot out of her wand and wrapped around Neville and Hannah, tying them together and firmly against the chair. Neville gritted his teeth. He had a crush on Hannah, and not only was the soft body of the girl he liked pressed up against him, but Alecto seemed to be having a jolly ol' time of it.

"Awww, lickle Bottom looks a wee bit uncomfortable. Touch her," Alecto grinned broadly, moving her fingers into her mouth, wild eyed.

"Alec-"

"SHUT UP, AMYCUS," She screeched.

"Touch her," Alecto repeated, panting heavily.

"No," Neville snarled, turning his head and spitting at the ground at her feet. He didn't care anymore, he was not going to do it.

"Abbott, dear. Start rotating your hips," Alecto ordered, Hannah followed, and Neville almost bit his tongue in shock.

There was a loud knock on the door, and Neville didn't think he had ever been so relieved. "Shit," Alecto growled. "Hannah, stop." Alecto flicked her wand and muttered a couple things under her breath. The ropes writhed away, Neville's' skin still burned from where trying to resist them had cut into his skin. Hannah seemed to be in control of herself again, gasping deeply, and eyes widening as she saw the compromising position they were in. Her hands moved to his shoulders to keep herself from falling. "Stay!" Alecto screamed. Hurrying to the door, she opened it a crack and clicked her teeth together when she saw who it was. "What do you want, Nott?"

Neville could hear Theo's voice, muted by the doors, and Alecto was now whispering harshly, taking a gamble he peeked at the door, past Amycus' bored face and saw that Alecto looked furious. She shook her head and then slammed the door. She returned to the corner with a vengeance. "Abbott, get dressed and get out, Longbottom, don't move."

Hannah gave him a worried look before crawling backwards off of him, slipping her dress back on, and swiftly striding to the door, zipping up her dress as she went. The door opened, letting in a bit of light, and then it and Hannah were both gone in moments, the door closing ,and Neville was relieved. _At least Hannah is safe._

The relief quickly passed however, when Alecto took Hannah's position. " _Aguamenti_ ," Alecto whispered in his ear as her wand pointed downwards over their heads; cool water flooded out of the tip of her wand, thoroughly soaking them both. "You annoy me. Your very existence...it reminds me of him. He was such a clumsy fool, yet he bested me. I can't forgive him." Alecto took a hand and fisted it into Neville's hair, her breath hot on his neck. " _Petrificus Totalus_ ," Alecto hissed before he could do anything. "I hate him, and I hate his blood. Bellatrix did well all those years ago," Neville was silently screaming inside, but he couldn't do anything. Couldn't move, couldn't speak, all he could do was watch.

"So I'll just have to use you to get my revenge," Alecto murmured against his ear, her tongue swiped flat up the side of it. Alecto shrugged her robes off and that was when Amycus had enough.

"Alecto. Stop it." Neville hadn't even noticed Amycus behind them, he grabbed Alecto's arm in a vice grip and dragged her off of Neville. "That's enough for today. Hmmm?" He spoke as if scolding a petulant child. " Amycus waved his wand and Neville felt his limbs loosen, he knew from experience that his limbs would be a little wobbly however, so he took his time standing up.

"NO! NO! I'm not finished! I am not-" Amycus silenced Alecto's protests with a kiss, his eyes were open as they darted to Neville and then to the door. Neville knew this was the opportunity of a lifetime. Ducking to retrieve his clothes on the way out, he didn't even bother putting them on before he rushed outside, flinging the door open. Alecto's loud sobs haunted him as they rang out behind him. Not even twenty feet from the door, Theo was leaning against the wall in between two portraits, Hannah pacing in front of him.

"Thanks, mate," Neville said, startling both of them, Theo's wand was right in front of his face. Neville ignored it as he pushed one leg into his beige trousers, and then the next, pulling them up, and fastening them. Rolling his eyes as Theo refused to lower his wand out of principle, and Neville pulled his maroon jumper over his head.

"I could only get Abott out, Alecto seems to have some unhealthy obsession with you," Theo grunted, tucking his wand back into his robes. Neville was not prepared when Hannah flung herself into his arms, body wracking with sobs. Taken aback, it took him a few moments to tentatively wrap his arms around her.

"How did you do that? "

"Told Alecto that Professor Sprout was looking for her Hufflepuff, and that she should end her detention soon. Not entirely true, but it did the trick."

"Where's Ginny?"

"Room of Requirement, Alecto caught a first year Slytherin practicing casting _Lumos_ in a corner by herself, and gave the little thing a gold star, in the shape of a burn on the back of her hand. Girl wouldn't stop crying, Ginny just up, picked her up and carried her all the way to the Seventh Floor." Theo said tenderly. Theo could be quite the gruff individual, but when he was talking about Ginny, his persona became softer, more amicable.

"When it comes time...Alecto is mine," Neville growled.

"Longbottom...when the time comes, you'll have to fight me for the right to off the bitch, or get in line. I'm going to make sure she suffers tenfold anything she's ever inflicted on anyone else." Theo lowered his head slightly, face cast in shadows, tone dark, blue eyes standing out bright against the darkness. "That is a promise."

* * *

 ***WHEW* that was a bit longer than usual.**

 **I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Please.**

 **Whether it be the frustration of Draco and Hermione, or just the disgust towards Alecto on a whole. She needs help. I know. Amycus is only enabling her, but at least he stopped it...this time. He basically lets her get away with bloody murder, there is a specific reason why he didn't like this, but that's to come. Theories are always welcome :")**

 **Tumblr is a GREAT place to interact with me, indiebluecrown. tumblr. com**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! The next one will be more *fun* times at Hogwarts, and then a lot about Draco in the 'secluded forest' as we're going to call it. I may just make that a chapter in and of itself, because a lot is going to happen over the twenty days.**

 **LOVE you,**

 **Indieblue xxx**


	14. Into the Unknown

**I did something completely unintentional. As you well know there are three trios.**

 **Harry, Ron, Hermione. Draco, Blaise and Theo. Ginny, Luna, and Neville.**

 **Looking back with the punishments, one of those trios were all tortured on their backs. I didn't even notice I did it. It may seem minor or unimportant to you, but it just occurred to me.**

 **Right on to business, these are the last flashbacks for a good while, after this we are back to present day, and things are going to seem like they are happening quickly, but trust me, they aren't.**

 **I'm thinking that I want to have a scene in the Room of Requirement (ROR), where Ginny is surrounded by younger students and telling that it will be okay, and telling them stories of what Hogwarts should be like, and things that her brothers got up. She may even tell stories about the Boy Who Lived. I kind of really want to do that, since Ginny is a) a badass, but b) I think she can have a more motherly side to her as well.**

 **I'm sorry that it's been about three weeks, but here you go. This chapter is mainly focused on Draco.**

 **My wonderful beta : prattster666 :D all the love!**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line is mine.**

* * *

 **Flashback**

 **December 30th, 1997**

 **Day 1**

 _Theo owes me big time,_ Draco thought to himself as he and his Aunt approached the shimmering dome. The low clouds were obscuring the top of the dome from sight, and Draco was beginning to really doubt his plan. Not only did he not have any proper way to contact Blaise; something he was currently kicking himself for. He always had a plan. His situation was becoming more bleak and dire by the moment. All he saw was forest; Bellatrix explained that the majority of the secluded forest were dense patches of forest, one water source (it would be inhumane if we didn't give the beasts that at least). When Draco had asked exactly why this was here, Bella had shrugged and said that Theodus requested somewhere for his daughter to be punished and they had to find a place for the unwanted beasts. The Dark Lord was very gracious she saw with an almost dreamy expression.

Essentially he was going into this whole thing blind, with no concrete plan out of the blasted enclosure.

"You can leave now, Aunt Bella, thank you for bringing me," Draco smiled tightly, refraining from gritting his teeth over the fact that she had blindfolded him on the way here. Which only added to the list of reasons why this was a horrible, horrible plan. _No idea where I am, how I'm getting out, if Gwen is even still alive, I know literally next to nothing. Great Draco. This was a brilliant fucking idea. Let's not tell Theo about his sister before we go into immense danger, and to our probably imminent death. Great idea. Never, ever tell Blaise that, he wouldn't let me hear the end of it. If we survive this, when we survive this, he'll never let it go. I can picture him now, kicking back Firewhisky with that damn, smug grin, feet up on the coffee table, arm across the back of the couch._

"You can get in, but you can't get out without the spell," Bellatrix drawled, examining one of her wild curls with interest.

"Which is?"

"I'll use it when your time is up," Bellatrix rolled her eyes.

"If I need out before then?" Draco sighed, crossing his arms over his chest.

Bellatrix was silent for a long time, silently scrutinizing him; arm raised as if to touch her cheek as she pondered about what he said. She narrowed her eyes briefly before speaking very slowly, enunciating each syllable with a venom only she could. " _Eaque cum aperuero tutum transitum de hoc area_."

"What does it me-"

"That is not important, you are wasting my time," Bellatrix hissed. "I expect you will have the Nott girl in your possession, dead or alive when I next see you." Bellatrix spun on her heel and apparated before he could get a word in edgewise.

Draco hesitated outside of the dome, daylight was fading fast, and he didn't want to enter at nightfall. He had to do this quickly. _Think Draco. Think._ Draco began to pace back and forth, contemplating a way for Blaise or Sirius to know where he was. He could send a patronus, but it wouldn't tell them where he was. "I wonder..." Draco shook his head at the absurdity of the idea. _I can't accio Blaise...can I? I imagine it wouldn't be pleasant...wait, wait, wait, this could actually work. As insane as it sounds._

"Expecto Patronum," Draco summoned his patronus; quiet days with Ginny in the cottage, joking around with Blaise and Theo on the way to Hogsmeade in fifth year, nights in the Room of Requirement actually properly listening to Luna, rushed through his head until he latched onto his happiest moment. It was about her, it was always about her. He had felt so close to her a few days ago, and now he couldn't have felt farther. Then the falcon flew out of his wand and landed on his shoulder, turning its head to look at him. "Blaise, I'm going to do something insane. Probably stupid and a bit reckless. I'm going to _accio_ you. So hop on a broom and go higher than any trees or things that would get in your way. Trust me. I have no idea where this stupid dome is. Disillusion yourself in case there are any prying eyes or muggles en route. Don't roll your eyes, you can curse me all you like. I'm running out of time. The Dark Lord has a way of knowing when something enters the dome, and I'm supposed to be inside. Just hop on your broom and fly as fast as you can. I think the spell should guide you in the right direction. Never summoned a person before though. Patronus should get to you in less than ten minutes. I'll wait until then to summon you. You better run." Draco waved his wand and his falcon flew away at lightning speed. _Now we wait._

...

Blaise sat on the couch in the living room in the cottage, alone. Ginny was in her bedroom sleeping. Draco couldn't tell her goodbye in person, so instead he had written her a short letter, keeping it vague, but it got the point across. She had thrown something when she finished reading it, panting heavily with the parchment partially balled up in her fist. Pupils dilated, she looked like she was out for blood. In an eerily calm voice she had expressed her views on the situation, "if he doesn't die, I'm going to kill him."

She was hurt, he understood that. Draco and Red had a special relationship, it was similar yet vastly different from the one she had with him.

Blaise threw back the rest of what was in his glass. He never forgot anymore, but it took the edge off, it helped, it stopped him from seeing them sometimes. Frozen faces, bloody faces, eyes rolled back, mouths foaming, bodies torn apart. Though it was the ones that died by the killing curse that really got to him. Out of all the grisly and abhorrent things that he had seen during the war; they were what got to him. He found it almost laughable. It was their eyes, and often their faces were frozen with whatever expression they had in the moments before their death. Fear. It was always the fear that was permanently etched into their faces, the terror captured in their eyes.

Then Draco's patronus burst into the room and his best mate had never sounded more deranged. " _Blaise, I'm going to do something insane. Probably stupid and a bit reckless. I'm going to accio you_ -"

"You're fucking kidding me," Blaise put his glass down, and ran out of the house as quickly as his feet would carry him. Draco's patronus followed, speaking the entire time.

" _Don't roll your eyes, you can curse me all you like. I'm running out of time-"_

"I am literally going to strangle you, fucking Malfoys with their..." Blaise cursed as he flung open the shed outside the house, grabbing Draco's Firebolt, swinging his leg over it, he finished his thought. "Stupid fucking ideas. How do you know if this will work?" Blaise yelled into the air, grabbing one of the hair ties Ginny had lent him, and quickly tying his hair back into a short ponytail. Just as Draco's voice continued to come out of his patronus, who was scratching at the ground and ruffling its feathers.

" _Never summoned a person before though-"_

"No _normal_ person has, for fuck's sake, it's bloody mental-" Blaise got out before he began to feel an intense pull. His feet started dragging though the snow and he decided that he needed to get above the tree line before he being knocked off his broom and dragged across the forest ground.

Blaise managed to fly up high enough before the pull became too strong. Twenty-five minutes of flying at what felt like the speed of light later and he saw the blonde haired Slytherin pacing back and forth in front of the huge shimmery dome. Blaise swore he saw something big, sprint into one of the sections of forest on the far side. There was a ridge, and he was filled with dread as he looked upon the massive enclosure. _If Gwen survived in here for this long, I have to remember to never get on her bad side. She was bad enough when we were younger, but now? Who knows what ten years of being locked in the basement will do to you? Without any real human contact. It must have killed Theo to know that she was so close yet still so far._

...

Draco watched Blaise drop the broom on the ground beside him and then hunch over, hands on his knees. It took a few moments but then Blaise stood up and shook his hair out, combing his dark waves back at the same time with his fingers.

"Finally, you're here," Draco sighed in relief. "I have to make this quick, here take this," Draco reached into his pocket and holding his hand out, palm out. Nestled in this middle was the fake galleon he used to talk to Hermione.

"Mate...are you sure?" Blaise asked, his anger fading at having being summoned the cottage.

"Yes, take it," Draco said firmly, picking up Blaise's hand, placing it inside and then closing it over the cool metal.

"What's the plan-"

"Don't got one-"

"You always have a plan-"

"I know!" Draco yelled, grabbing his head in frustration.

"Give me ten days and then if you can, then either you or Sirius come and check up every evening. Please. I can get out, but I'm going to need help getting her out, especially if we both get injured in there, I won't be able to apparate," Draco requested, Blaise nodded grimly and wordlessly pulled Draco in for a hug. At one point Blaise hated being touched by anyone, he always felt dirty since his Mother was the only one who had touched him when he was younger. Usually it was a pat on the head or she would pinch his cheeks on her way out of the door with her suitor of the evening. Blaise stood firmly in the belief that his Mother had killed his Father because it suited her, but he had never been able to prove it. Now he didn't mind it at all, as long as they were people he liked or cared about.

"Don't die, idiot."

"Don't plan on it," Draco smiled weakly, clapping Blaise on the shoulder and then turning away, he needed to get into the dome, now. As he passed through it, the surface rippled around him. Draco didn't look back once, but he knew that Blaise was watching him walking away, even after the shadows claimed him.

...

 **Flashback**

 **December 31st, 1997**

 **Day 2**

Draco had not come across any beasts or harmful creatures during the night-time. As he walked tirelessly through the forest, glancing up every now and then to make sure nothing was above him. It was how he saw it. The shoddily put together wall of the what looked like an attempt of a tree house. _There are little 'steps' going up to it as well. High ground. Smart._

Draco started to climb the poles that were jutting out of the tree trunk. They were just strong enough to support a person of his weight, but he saw that the ones closer to the ground were broken and splintered. Perhaps something bigger had tried to climb the tree.

He heaved himself onto the platform and fell onto his side, panting heavily. He threw a hand over his eyes to block out the sun that was filtering through the tree canopies. Now his exhaustion was catching up to him, now that he could relax-

A low growl made his breath catch in his throat. _Shit._

Adrenaline started pumping through his system as he stood up and whirled around, seeing a pure black wolf with a deep scar that ran from its ribs to the top of its hind leg. The scar looked old and the fur thinned out a bit around it. He quickly pulled his wand out of his trouser pocket. He had opted for a plain dark grey t-shirt that Hermione had given him and plain black trousers, it was a lot easier to move in and he would stand out less at night.

The eyes made him pause. He knew those eyes, he looked at them practically every day, yet these ones were a bit more of a bluish grey. It had been ten years since he had seen those eyes. The only difference is that they used to sparkle with mirth and mischief, now they looked weary and guarded. The growl grew louder, it was low and guttural. Draco had no idea what to do, he could be horribly wrong about this. _Fuck it._ Slowly he straightened up, tucking his wand back into his pocket, hands raised in surrender. "Gwen?" The eyes cleared and seemed to flash with recognition, well at least the growling stopped.

Draco's eyes grew as wide as saucers when she began to shift. Soon a blue eyed, dark haired, fair skinned woman stood in front of him, a lot shorter than he remembered, she couldn't be taller than Red. She had a tattered dress on, and Draco remembered it. Except it used to be a pale blue, and there used to a ribbon under her bust, now the ribbon was gone, and it was a dinghy grey colour.

Gwen frowned, a hand to her throat as she rasped out in a scratchy voice, "That's the best that asshole's got? He sent Draco fucking Malfoy to kill me?" Her eyes narrowed in a deadly stare.

* * *

 **Lovely way to end it, no?**

 **I really love how I've written Gwen, and I hope you do as well, she is a mixture of Theo and a bit of Sirius to me. Imagine Ginny and her interacting! Anyways I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I may, may be able to post another in the next couple of days since I have some free time.**

 **Things to note. Time Travel? Piece of Cake hit 200 followers yesterday! Fall Through time is insanely close to 220, what is my life? Thank you all so, so much for reading my stories. Especially this one. It means practically everything. Well, a little bit of practically everything.**

 **Love you guys,**

 **Indieblue xx**


	15. Ambrose

**Happy Sunday lovely humans!**

 **This is a very crucial chapter, at least I would like to think so. A lot happens and I hope you like it. You may or may not hate me when you get to the end of the chapter, and as much as it hurt, I needed to do it. Part of this made me almost cry whilst writing.**

 **Next chapter we'll be back at Hogwarts, and things will get intense...more intense than this, let's just say Alecto loses it, more than she already has.**

 **chic. geek. fangirl. freak: HAII, you're back! Yayy. I enjoyed writing that bit where Draco summoned Blaise way too much. Also Gwen is all over this chapter, as is Draco. Ginny and Theo are to come next chapter, as well as maybe a Luna POV. I miss my fellow little Ravenclaw. I agree the hatred of Alecto only grows. That scene with Neville and Hannah, I'll admit I was going to go down a much darker road, but I stopped myself. I said no, can't do that, wayyy too bad. I'm happy you're back though, for sure, all the love xxxxx hope you enjoy this chapter as well!**

 **My tumblr: indiebluecrown. tumblr. com**

 **My AMAZING beta: prattster666, all the love darling xxx**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling and only the story line and any OC's are mine.**

* * *

 **Present Day**

 **January 9th, 1998**

 **Day 11**

"What the hell?" Draco rubbed his sore scalp, "you're bloody mental woman." Referring to the fact that Gwen had just whacked him on the back of the head with the short branch in her hand, it was about as thick as a Butterbeer bottle.

"I guess ten years in a cramped, dark room of despair and loneliness will do that to a girl," Gwen said sardonically, handing him the container that they were storing their water in. Carefully, as to not spill even a drop, he gratefully let the lukewarm water run down his parched throat.

The past several days with Gwen were weird for Draco, she was scarily like Theo, yet so different. She actually reminded him of Ginny. After their initial meeting, Gwen had tried throw him off the side of her makeshift tree house. It had taken ten minutes of wrestling and rushed, clipped explanations before she stopped charging at him. She also abhorred that Draco tried to make conversation apparently. Normally _he_ was the one getting annoyed at people he didn't know or wasn't fond of addressing him. Which is why he had yet to explain to her that Theo was a Death Eater, who Ginny was, or much of anything really. They ate in silence. They slept on opposite sides of the little shack. Gwen made the effort to shift into a wolf whenever she saw the opportunity to; it was a great way to ignore Draco and indicate that any weak and feeble attempts at conversation were going to be unsuccessful. That was how eleven days of his life passed in the blink of an eye, time seemed not to matter in this place, but that didn't stop him from making a mark on the tree next to where he slept every night. He needed to make sure he knew how much time he had left. Time was running out.

Whenever Gwen did talk to him, she told him that they couldn't leave yet. There was one major obstacle in their way, he would ask what it was, and she would give him a scathing glare and shake her head in exasperation. So now here they were. Eleven days, and Draco honestly didn't know why they didn't just make a break for where the wards around the forest ended. Yet she insisted, they had to wait. Soon, she said, soon.

"Ambrose." Gwen said out of nowhere, shocking Draco so much at the sudden noise that he flinched.

"Who?" Draco frowned.

"One of the beasts in here, the reason we can't leave. He's faster than anything I've ever seen. I barely got away last time." Gwen replied in a clipped tone.

"I could stun it?" Draco suggested. Another fun thing about this forest straight out of the depths of hell, was that it was magically draining. Even small, mundane spells tired him out, leaving his fatigued for hours. He and Gwen both knew this, but it couldn't hurt to try.

"I've got a plan for him. Don't worry your pretty little head about it, sweetheart," Gwen said dryly.

"I don't like not knowing what's going to happen. I have enough anxiety over the fucking shit I have to go through every day, would you please just let me in on the little plan?" Draco might as well have been on his knees with how desperate his tone was.

"I'll tell you tomorrow. Right now I'm going to sleep," Gwen declared in a gruff tone.

"The bloody sun hasn't even finished setting!" Draco gestured to the orange-red sky fervidly.

"I'm tired," Gwen glanced at him over her shoulder with drooping eyes, "tomorrow." She shifted into her animagus form, her paws slowly padding across the ground. _Bloody Notts. Always so damn difficult to deal with. Going to sleep and the ruddy sun hasn't even set yet. Bloody hell. When...if...we get out of this. Teddy owes me big, fucking time._ Draco bitterly sat down on the platform. _Merlin it's times like these that I wish Hermione was here. I miss her so fucking much._ Draco's mood curdled like sour milk in seconds. With a irate sigh, he leaned back until he was lying down, staring up into the treetops. _I hope she's having a better go of it than I am. All this waiting and being on edge constantly is wearing away at my already frayed nerves._ Draco closed his eyes and an image of his girlfriend immediately came to mind. _I hope wherever you are, you're safe. Please, be safe._

...

 **Day 13**

 **January 11th, 1998**

"GWEN!" Draco cried, "hold on!"

Draco was grasping the girl by both of her hands as she dangled over the edge of the tree house platform.

 **An hour ago**

"Is it normal for there to be storms in here?" Draco asked over his shoulder as he peered outside, the night sky alight by the half moon. Lightning crackled in the distance as the thunder boomed, pounded and shouted.

"No." Gwen stood up, abandoning the rather long, and thick branch that she had been carving into a spear. Draco hadn't asked what it was for, and Gwen wasn't a girl of many words anymore. The girl he had known when he was eight; the one who was filled with sarcastic sass, now erred on the side of quiet unless she felt the need to say something. The girl he knew was gone, and she was replaced by a woman who had been through inordinate amounts of suffering because of her own Father.

"What's the spear for?" Draco asked quietly when she peered outside, leaving the comfort of their three walled abode.

"I told you I call him Ambrose," Gwen replied curtly, again not elaborating on what exactly Ambrose was.

"Wh-"

"I don't know what Ambrose is. He's big, he's ugly. I'm assuming it is a male." Gwen glared at the dark clouds that moved in front of the moon.

"So that-" Draco gestured to the spear, "is to kill it?"

"If we want to get out of here, Ambrose needs to die," Gwen scratched her shoulder, and then walked over to the spear again. Sitting cross-legged and set about completing her task.

 _I would love to know how she has any muscle mass at all after being locked up for almost ten years. How Theodus got away with that either is what I'm really curious about. Not to mention the fact that I don't know anything about her. Almost ten years spent in utter darkness is bound to fuck someone up. I'm surprised she's not...well, like Bellatrix. I think it's a miracle._

"Theo said you were in the same year as Charlie Weasley-"

"Charlie is alive?" Gwen's head snapped up, throwing the spear down. Up and inches away from him in mere seconds, with movements as agile as a cat.

"Uhhhh, yea?" Draco frowned in confusion, "He was Head Boy, Quidditch Captain, and the Seeker for the Gryffindor team."

"He's alive?" Gwen repeated, a desperation in her voice as she clutched at the front of Draco's shirt.

"Very much so, went to Romania after he graduated to be a-"

"Dragonologist-"

"He did it then?" A light smile touched Gwen's face and suddenly Draco began to put two and two together. What Theodus had told his son about why Gwen was locked up was a lie.

"You were in love with Weasley, weren't you?" Draco asked bluntly, Gwen's hands shook as she let go of him and took a few steps backwards. Tears welling up in her eyes as she thrust her hands into her short, shoddily cut hair.

"I...we weren't together, but we were friends, best friends...I just...Dad found my box of letters...said he was going to kill him, and before I could do anything I was locked in the fucking basement." Gwen took a long, shuddering intake of breath, then cautiously met Draco's eyes. Showing her true emotions had always been a difficult thing for her. "I loved him though. I love him. Before the Christmas Holidays he told me he needed to tell me something...then I never came back."

"Weasley is a Pureblood though-"

"The Malfoy is saying that to me?" Gwen spat coldly, "you were raised to believe that Blood traitors were just as bad as Mudbloo-"

"Do _not_ say that word in my presence, Gwendolyn. Before I do something I regret," Draco said darkly. The shadows that were cast across the majority of his body made his grey eyes stand out more, and they were out for blood.

"You fell in love with a Muggleborn," Gwen guessed astutely, "a right pair we are. Next you'll be telling me Theo fell in love with one too."

"He is in love with Ginevra Weasley," Draco informed her, voice barely louder than a whisper.

"Are you fucking with me?" Gwen's eyes rounded, as it occurred to her that this was the longest conversation she had in years. It made her feel human again, emotions, raw and undiluted were rushing through her. "Charlie's baby sister?"

"Like sister, like brother."

"No one knew Charlie and I were on good terms much less friends, please tell me that Father does not know about Gin-"

"We made sure of that," Draco said protectively. "As far as he's concerned, Red is just another blood traitor."

"Good, good." Gwen nodded her head slightly, hands dropping limply to her sides, "Red?"

"Theo's nickname for her, it's grown on Blaise and I."

"I've been gone ten years..." Gwen clenched her fists, just how long she'd been locked in the basement occurring to her, "is he...is he happy?"

"I don't know how we haven't had this conversation before, but Theo...there isn't an easy way to say this...Blaise, Theo and I...we're...death eaters," Draco cowed his head, unable to look at her.

"The man with the red eyes that I saw before I was dropped in here. That's him isn't it? The Dark Lord. He's back." Gwen gritted out.

"Yes."

"He let Theo become a death eater?" Gwen hissed acidly, Draco inferred that she was referring to her Father.

"Practically carved the dark mark into Theo himself." Draco said reticently.

"We need to get the fuck out of here," Gwen said sternly. At that exact moment a loud, scratchy, howling noise hit their ears. "Ambrose is on the move."

"What does that mean exactly?" Draco asked for clarification. "Can't I use magic to kill him?"

"I thought you said the dome was magically draining and that using anything too big may knock you out, thus making you useless when we need to leave?" Gwen asked, moving to peer over the edge of the platform. Draco turned to face her, when he felt the ground shift beneath his feet. He looked up and saw Gwen flailing and trying to get her balance, before she was teetering forward. Something had slammed into the base of the tree, shaking and shifting everything. Draco dove forward and managed to grasp her wrists; stopping her from plummeting to whatever was waiting below them.

 _"GWEN!" Draco cried, "hold on!"_

 _Draco was grasping the girl by both of her hands as she dangled over the edge of the tree house platform._

"Shit! Ambrose is smarter than he looks," Gwen spat, glancing below her to see the beast staring up at her, mouth ajar as hot, thick drool was dripping slowly from it. It was its' eyes that messed with her. The pale blue eyes with no pupils.

Ambrose was a massive six legged creature, with sharp pointy ears, more teeth than you could count, its limbs had three fingers with long, jagged claws. Finally it had large, pale blue eyes.

"That is one ugly son of a bitch," Draco rasped, face turning pink with exertion as he pulled Gwen back over the edge. He laid on his back panting as she crawled forward until she was kneeling by his head.

"Thank you," Gwen panted. A shrill shriek in the not too far distance had them both craning to see where it had come from. The good news, was so was Ambrose. It raised one massive paw slightly in the air for a moment before taking off. Gone from their line of sight in seconds.

"He won't be coming back tonight...right?" Draco warily glanced at Gwen out of the corner of his eye.

"No, he's found something else to snack on...for now," Gwen answered cryptically. After that, neither of them were in the mood to talk much, however they didn't sleep as far apart as before. Both silently comforted by the other's presence.

...

 **Day 14**

 **January 12th, 1998**

"You ready?" Gwen asked, picking her spear up off the ground.

"Am I ready to climb down this tree, constantly on edge, waiting for the impending doom that is most likely going to befall both of us to occur?" Draco drawled sardonically, "sure."

"Smart ass," Gwen flicked him on the forehead, which was quite something since she was about half a foot shorter than him.

"If we actually-"

" _When_ ," Gwen cut him off, a determined look burning in her eyes. "This needs to work. Not only does Ambrose not sleep at all anymore, his food supply is getting smaller and smaller each damn day. If we don't leave _now_ , we might as well be dead." Draco remained silent, his expression grim and forlorn.

"Just think of your girl," Gwen's features softened, her tone was almost warm. "Think of seeing her again, holding her." _I should know what it's like, for a tiny sliver of hope to be the only thing driving you to survive. To crawl into the corner and shove the tasteless food down your throat every day so you don't starve. Only for a 'fresh' set to magically appear the next day._ Without Draco here, she may not have been able to figure a way out, but he was, and she couldn't shove the hope down anymore. It was gradually growing from the mere sliver it had been for years, flourishing and branching out. She hated it. She hated it because if this didn't work, then she would either be dead, or worse, recaptured. Then all of her chances to see her best friend again would be gone _. I can honestly see him living a life of partial solitude. Just him, dragons and the occasional colleague. Returning home every now and then so Missus Weasley doesn't blow a fuse._ Gwen recalled stories of his siblings and his parents that he used to tell her. In return she told him about her Mother, something she hadn't talked about with another living soul.

"Right, let's go," Gwen set her jaw, holding her spear in one hand and carefully manoeuvring herself so she would be able to climb down the side of the tree without falling. Draco was not far behind her. Their hearts both beating rapidly as their feet touched the forest floor.

"Let's get moving, I'd like to put as much distance between us and anything else as possible," Draco muttered, wand firmly grasped in his hand as a last resort.

Swiftly running single file, they jumped over roots, sprinted and dashed in and around trees, rocks, bushes and other obstacles. The trip out seemed a lot shorter than his trip in. They were so close that Gwen could taste freedom, it was tangy and sweet all at the same time on her tongue. Then Ambrose appeared, and he was not alone.

 _Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit._

"Shit," Draco said aloud in a harsh whisper. Instinctively stepping in front of Gwen, who rolled her eyes despite their very dire circumstances. _Men._

"Listen to me, and listen to me carefully," Gwen whispered directly into Draco's ear. Which was a bit awkward on his part, since his knees were bent and he was leaning backwards, trying not to fall. The wet noises of Ambrose digging into its' feast from the night before causing them both to flinch. The smacking noise of its lips moving with every rip, and tear of flesh from whatever unlucky creature that had been unfortunate enough to cross paths with Ambrose, had Gwen and Draco filled with anxiety. One wrong move and the beast would be on them before they could blink.

"This is a blessing and a curse, alright? We just have to figure a way out of here...without getting noticed by the lovely 'lil thing over there," the last part of what he said dripping with sarcasm.

Gwen pointed to a small path to their right, it curved right around Ambrose, and if they could keep quiet, then hopefully they would be out before he even noticed. Draco nodded a fraction, and then with intense concentration cast silencing charms on them. _Silencio!_

It was torturously slow how they leisurely crept in the direction of the path, Draco wincing every time Ambrose took another bite into his meal. The carcass was unrecognizable, whatever it was, Gwen felt bad for it, but she was also highly grateful that its sacrifice was what was going to aid them in their attempt out of here. _We're not out of the woods yet...oh Circe, I just made a bloody unintentional pun. Gwen, your timing is fucking impeccable. At least we know that you still have a damn sense of humour._ They were finally on the other side of Ambrose, and they began to move back to back in the direction of the barrier. They were almost there. So close. A few more feet.

A high pitched screaming erupted from Gwen's right, and Draco's left. _Shit._ The creature looked a spider that had mutated horribly. With eighteen eyes, a long spindly body, and two arms and six legs. Ambrose's head snapped up sharply.

"Run?" Draco suggested.

"Run," Gwen agreed, her heart felt as if it was about to burst, the adrenaline pumping quickly through her veins. From there everything moved in slow motion. Draco was saying something, she couldn't really hear him clearly. Too focused on deciding what to throw her spear at. In a split decision she decided to throw it at Ambrose. The spiderlike creature was further away, and she knew how fast Ambrose was. Horror filled her as the spear pierced through Ambrose's skull like butter, but the beast kept moving languidly towards them. Almost mocking them, as if to say that they would never leave alive.

Gwen and Draco in a quick stroke of luck managed to get outside the barrier, but not before Ambrose clawed out at them, raking his sharp claws across both of their backs. They fell in a heap on the other side, and watched as the spider beast and Ambrose started to stab, claw, bite and tear at one another.

"Dray?" A shaky voice came from in front of them, Draco strained to look up, the torn flesh on his back burning unbearably.

"Blaise. How you doing?" Draco smiled weakly, "you remember Gwen."

" _Shit._ That was close, too fucking close," Sirius immediately crouched beside them, grimacing when he got a good look at their backs. Rifling in his right robe pocket, he extracted a small vial of dittany, and Draco's hand shot out. Stopping his cousin from pouring even a drop on his back.

"I need a good reason that she got away," Draco gritted out.

"I hate to admit it, but he's right," Blaise said morosely, striding over to his best mate to help him stand up. Draco stood on shaky knees, and then said casually. "Which one of you is going to knock me out mid transmission of my Patronus message?"

Silence reigned for a few pregnant moments, the beast fighting rampantly behind them the entire time.

"I'll do it," Blaise volunteered reluctantly.

"Good. Be ready. Whenever you think is prudent. Whatever feels...natural," Draco requested.

"This isn't a fucking play," Blaise groaned.

"Expecto Patronum!" Draco flinched as the pain only seemed to get worse, his entire body was beginning to feel numb. "Aunt Bella, I've got the girl, but on our way out I was injured by a beast, and she's-" Blaise didn't let him get any further, hitting him with a Stupefy straight in the stomach. The corporeal eagle Patronus opened its mouth for a long moment and then flew off into the distance. When Blaise and Sirius could no longer see it, they finally decided it was safe to speak.

"It feels wrong leaving him," Blaise snarled vehemently, as he gently placed Draco, face down on the grass, turning his head so he could breathe.

"We don't have a choice," Sirius said dismally, carefully swinging Gwen over his shoulder. She had passed out a few moments before, due to overexertion and her injury.

"I just hope...for their sake...that not a hair upon his head is hurt. Or there will be bloody fucking hell to pay," Blaise said darkly, holding Sirius' forearm, glancing at his best mate one last time, and apparating them out of there. Back in the forest, Ambrose trotted away, having triumphed over the spider; the spear still stuck in his skull.

...

 **A few hours later** , Ginny and Theo returned to the cottage, holding hands. Blaise looked out of the window anxiously, biting the skin beside his thumb nail. Sirius was sitting on the coffee table, offering Gwen liquids and making sure that her back was alright. She had insisted that it was only a flesh wound, and that it could have been way worse.

Blaise saw Theo stop, pulling Ginny back towards him, a cocky grin on his face as he leaned down and kissed her. Ginny wrapped her arms around his neck, and then pulled away, peppering his cheeks with kisses instead. They had a brief exchange, before Ginny shoved Theo playfully and made a break for the house.

"We're home!" Ginny exclaimed happily, "today wasn't actual shit for once. Alecto and Amycus had to leave the school on urgent business earlier." Her smile however froze in place when she saw the dark haired, blue eyed girl sitting on the couch. Warily regarded the redhead in front of her.

Theo's profile appeared behind Ginny, the sun had almost set, so the remaining light cast shadows across his back. Gwen flinched when she saw the blue eyes so like her own. The only other person she'd seen in years with those eyes was the man who kept her locked in absolute darkness. These eyes, they were kinder, hardened by the things he'd seen, but she could see it. His goodness.

"Hey there, baby brother," Gwen choked out, waving awkwardly.

Ginny looked over her shoulder at Theo, who was frozen in place, tears falling freely from his eyes. She reached out and grabbed his hand, and he squeezed it like it was the only thing keeping him here, as if to reassure him that this was real.

"G-Gwen?" Theo rasped out, walking in front of Ginny, never letting go, so she trailed behind him a bit uncertainly. Blaise and Sirius suddenly felt like they were intruding on a very intimate, private moment. Blaise raised his bottle of Firewhisky and nodded towards one of the bedrooms. _Might as well have a celebratory drink every now and then as well._ Sirius nodded back his understanding, and soon the two males were on the roof, watching the sky turn blueish gray, tossing back a couple swigs from the bottle each.

"Theo," Gwen whispered, wincing as she stood up on wobbly legs. Theo reached forward and caught her when she started to fall. Ginny's hand sandwiched between them all.

"How?" Theo asked shakily. A fresh bout of tears welling up in his eyes, because now he could feel her. She wasn't a dream, and he had dreamed about this moment for years. The day he would be able to see his sister again. When he wouldn't cry himself to sleep when he was little because his Father told him that Gwen did a bad thing, and bad girls need to be punished. Their Mother always said that yes, your actions have consequences, but remember, Family _always_ comes first. Not just by blood, but more importantly, by choice.

"You're real," Gwen mumbled, her hand shaking as she laid it against his cheek. "You're actually real." Gwen frowned as she looked up at him, "who told you to get so tall, huh?"

"I don't know, this funny thing called puberty I guess," Theo smiled crookedly. Ginny managed to wriggle out of his grasp. Tears staining her own cheeks as she reached up and wiped away some of his.

Gwen angled her head to look at Ginny, reaching out with her other hand, "Red? Ginny? Ginevra? Draco didn't tell me what you liked to be called."

" _You_ were his mission?" Ginny gasped, her free hand flew to her mouth.

"What?" Theo snarled, Gwen flinched at his harsh tone, and Theo immediately reined in his anger, features soft. "Draco went to get you?"

"He said you might kill him when he gets back, but yes. The Dark Lord sent him to get me, and we..." Gwen trailed off, guiltily averting her eyes.

"We, what? Gwen. You can tell me, _please_." Theo pleaded, still in slight disbelief that his sister was really here in his arms, part of him thought he was going to wake up any second now.

"We had to leave him there, it was his plan...we left Draco at the mercy of the Death Eaters," Gwen let out a single, pained sob.

"Shit."

...

 **Malfoy Manor**

 **Dungeons**

Whimsical singing, it filled his dreams and night terrors. Darkness. Nothing seemed to matter, time was irrelevant here. Occasionally the singing would stop, but then it would start back as if nothing had happened.

Floating. He felt like he was floating, for how long or why he did not know, all he knew was hushed whispers filled the darkness, slicing right through him. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but the singing. It cut through him like a knife, clear as day.

 _Fly, high,_

 _Up above the clouds._

 _One day, I will see you again, my dear,_

 _but for now, I must go,_

 _I must fly, higher than the sky,_

 _Higher than the sky._

 _One day, I will hold you in my arms again, and it will all be okay._

 _One day, we will weep with joy and fly together._

 _Fly, fly, fly, higher than the sky._

The voice was so familiar, and he wished he could tell them that it was going to be okay, and to stop singing such a sad song. Yet deep down, even in his ethereal state, he knew it wasn't.

Groggily he opened his eyes, and it felt like his body was being dragged down by a tonne of lead. Everything hurt, everything was sore. Smacking his dry lips together, he tested out his limbs, his legs were stiff, his feet barely touching the ground. His hands were tied together and he found that he was hanging from the ceiling.

When his eyes finally focused and adjusted to the darkness around him, he wished with every fibre in his body that they hadn't. Red eyes were staring at him, cold, indifferent eyes. Out of the darkness, the Dark Lord emerged. "Now, young Draco. Where is Gwendolyn Nott?"

* * *

 **There were a couple hints in this chapter, especially the last scene. Kind of made the song up on the spot, so sorry if it sounds a little weird. I was trying to keep it nice and simple!**

 **Please, please let me know what you think and leave a review :)**

 **Indieblue xx**


	16. Freedom, Monsters and Darkness

**I'm going to cut right to the chase, you may hate me a little bit for what you are about to read, I know it was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster writing this. I'm so, so sorry in advance!**

 **I love everyone who reads this story so much, I appreciate each and every one of you so much! Love you.**

 **This is mainly directed at prattster666 (my wonderful beta), who insisted we storm Malfoy Manor and rescue Draco immediately. Don't worry, he'll be out of there soon...I'm so sorry Kitty Cat, I know how you're going to feel about this chapter. I love you xxx Does that make it better? I hope that softens the blow.**

 **This chapter is something I've been planning since around the time Ginny was preparing to go back to Hogwarts, so awhile. I knew I was going to be so upset with myself for this, and I know you guys will be as well. I'M SORRY, ok?**

 **My tumblr: indiebluecrown. tumblr. com**

 **Please leave me a review and let me know what you think, I'll try to be available for the rest of the night!**

 **I recommend listening to Michl - Kill Our Way to Heaven and Haunting by Halsey whilst reading this chapter. (I kind of want to marry her a little bit).**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's are mine.**

* * *

 **Thursday, January 15th, 1998**

"Something is wrong," Hermione panted out heavily, sitting up, clutching her sheets to her chest as if by some miracle they would make it all better.

"Mione?" Ron twisted and propped himself up on his elbow, rubbing at his right eye with his other hand. "What's wrong?"

"Draco...something is wr-" Hermione stopped midway through what she was trying to say, a deep frown marring her features, wiping her hand across the back of her neck; which was slick with sweat. "Where is Harry?"

"Harry? He's over there where he al-" Ron halted mid sentence, wide awake now.

Both of them jumped up, Ron almost falling back down immediately since he was bundled tightly in his sheets. Ron grabbed his wand, and Hermione noticed that her wand and the wand that Harry was using were both missing.

"Where is he?" Ron repeated her previous question, and Hermione threw her hands in the air, frustrated.

"I just asked you that, Ronald!" Hermione shook her head, pulling on her boots, Ron was hopping up and down trying to do the same. When they both were sufficiently clothed they sprinted out of the tent, almost smashing into the Boy Who Lived himself.

"What's wrong with the two of you?" Harry raised his hands slightly, Hermione spotted that he had both wands grasped in his left hand.

"Don't do that again," Hermione smacked his shoulder lightly, heart still pounding.

"I just went to go check out the perimeter," Harry arched a brow.

"Well, don't go places without telling us, mate," Ron's shoulders moved up and down as he breathed heavily, still a bit wide-eyed.

Ron turned to Hermione with a perplexed expression, "you said something was wrong when you woke up in a panic...what did you mean?"

Hermione's mouth agape, she shoved her hands into her curls, wild eyes darting between her two best friends as her stomach dropped, dread filling her. "I'm not sure exactly...you remember the bond I told you about, with Draco?"

"Yea, what about it?" Ron asked, he had an idea where this was going, so he moved to grasp Hermione's shoulder, giving it a light, comforting squeeze.

" _I can't feel it_ ," Hermione rasped out shakily, clutching a hand to her chest.

"Shit, are you sure?" Harry was worried now as well, standing on Hermione's other side, taking up her free hand.

"I-I..." Hermione closed her eyes tightly, trying to still her pounding heart, "wait...it's there, it's faint, but it's there."

Both boys looked highly relieved when she said that, they may not have liked Malfoy in the past; but through Hermione's stories and what they knew about him helping out the Order, they would be saddened by his death. It would also kill them to see their best mate in so much pain as well.

"Ok, so we know he's alive, but that begs the question...what happened to him?" Harry posed the question and neither of them had an answer for the boy with the lightning scar. _Please, please, please be safe. I can't lose you. I can't._ Hermione worried her bottom lip between her teeth and looked out into the dark forest, covered in a blanket of pure white snow, Harry's foot prints the only thing marring the white powder. _Please be ok, Draco._

...

It was bizarre being free. In the forest she had been somewhat free; for the first time in years she was able to wake up to the sun shining, to branches rustling, the wind blowing gently on her face. As opposed to the perpetual dripping sound from one of the corner of her room. Tried as she had to find it, she couldn't. Losing herself in the darkness.

Now she woke up to the smell of pancakes wafting through the house, to the sun pouring through the window behind her bed. Theo had arranged for her to have the spare bedroom, or what had previously been an unoccupied room that Draco and Blaise walked through to get to the attic. It was still sparse since no one had the time to decorate these days. A Queen sized mattress (Gwen insisted that she wasn't quite ready to have an actual bed again), a single bedside table on the left side of the bed, and a pile of books that Gwen had borrowed from Draco's collection. She felt closer to the blonde when she saw the little notes he jotted in the margins; cursive, fine and neatly squished together print.

"Morning, princess," Ginny knocked lightly on the door, standing in the doorway. Unlike Ginny and Theo, Gwen preferred to sleep with her door open. Once Blaise had closed it on his way up to the attic for the night, and when he turned around, wild, unfocused blue eyes were right in front of him, a low growl erupting from her lips.

"Gin," Gwen smiled softly, stretching her arms above her head like a cat.

"You want pancakes, eggs, sausages, or all of the above?" Ginny asked, entering the room, and walking over to Gwen's mattress, and sitting down by the Older female's side.

"Definitely pancakes and sausages," Gwen yawned. "Any news?" Gwen didn't need to elaborate, they all understood what the other meant when they asked that particular question. Was there any information about Draco. Sirius had kept his ear to the ground over the past week and a half. Nothing. Not even a whisper. No platinum haired blonde's found in any rivers or dead in the woods somewhere.

"No," Ginny said reticently, tucking her hair behind her ears. Gwen smiled softly when she saw Ginny's cropped, tousled fiery hair. The day after Gwen had arrived she'd been in the bathroom adjacent to her room, seeing herself for the first time in ten years. She was lithe with muscles since she'd never stopped training even when she was locked up; she knew that the moment she became stagnant then that was the moment she truly lost. Gwen saw Ginny lean against the doorframe behind her, but she still continued to scrutinize herself, hand reaching up to touch her messily chopped hair. It used to come to the small of her back, shiny and glossy. Now it was limp, dinghy, and uneven.

"Move over," Ginny instructed, Gwen drew her brow together in confusion before Ginny reached into her pocket, retrieving her wand and in one swift motion cutting the entire left side of her hair to just above her shoulders. "I think I want it to go shorter until it's only a couple inches long in the back, you know what I mean? Long in the front, really short in the back." Ginny said nonchalantly, and Gwen's eyes were locked on the small pile of ginger hair on the bathroom floor. "Can you help me with the back, please?" Gwen hesitated before warily accepting the Ginny's wand. It had been so long since she had touched one. Theodus had snapped hers in front of her before throwing her in the dungeons. Nostalgia filled her, it had been so, so long. Gwen finished cutting Ginny's hair, going painstakingly slow; she was getting used to holding a wand that wasn't hers, and trying not to cut Ginny or too much hair off.

Ginny had smiled merrily, and then told Gwen to turn around, that she was going to fix it. Gwen told her to cut it as neatly as she could, only leaving a couple inches on her head. Ginny protested when Gwen told her to cut off her bangs as well, instead opting to make them even instead.

Both girls had talked on the couch for the rest of the day, Theo and Blaise's jaw dropping when they entered the house that evening. Ginny merely angled her head in their direction and asked if they had a problem.

Gwen scrunched up her nose and brought herself back to the present, still smiling from the memory.

"Right, I'll go get Blaise know. He volunteered to cook breakfast today-"

"I may wait until later to eat if he's cooking," Gwen interjected quickly.

"Hey! I heard that!" Blaise's voice echoed into the room.

"He's such a poppet sometimes," Ginny rolled her eyes, "but he's actually a really good cook." Ginny promised, a hand moving to rest on Gwen's bent knee.

"I'm taking a huge leap trusting you about this, if it tastes rubbish or I get sick then I blame you."

A few minutes later Gwen and Ginny were leaning up against the kitchen counter watching Blaise transfer their breakfast onto their plates. As they did Theo strolled out of his bedroom, hand ruffling his hair. Ginny hummed happily when Theo's hands moved around her waist, his right hand moving to lay flat against her stomach. Gwen glanced at the exchange out of the corner of her eyes, all whilst thanking Blaise and accepting her plate.

"At least it doesn't smell like death, that's a good sign," Gwen drawled dryly.

"Woman...it'll be like an orgy party in your mouth, sex on a plate," Blaise crossed his arms over his chest, grinning cockily.

"I wouldn't know. Never had it," Gwen said calmly, popping a bit of sausage into her mouth.

"What?" Blaise's eyes rounded, Theo stiffened next to Ginny. In amusement she patted his chest comfortingly.

"Well I was sixteen when I was locked up, boys were immature and the only one I was interested in was my best friend...neither of us was quite ready I don't think." Gwen arched a brow, seeing how uncomfortable Theo was, she smiled to herself. _Theo is adorable, next thing he'll want to pretend that I don't know he's had sex already._

"Wait nothing? No foreplay, no...rubbing when you got a little lonely?" Blaise pressed, still unable to wrap his head around what Gwen was telling him.

"Blaise-" Theo warned with a low growl.

"No, Zabini. There was no rubbing," Gwen rolled her eyes. _Strange how I didn't even think about any of that whilst I was imprisoned. Now all I'm thinking about is that idiot. We held hands a couple times, and there were a few occasions when we hugged. I wonder if he looks different, he was still bloody growing last time I saw him. His hands are mostly likely rough now from all his work outdoors and dealing with Dragons every day. He's probably really fit now-_

"Gwen?" Theo repeated, worriedly looking at his sister. She had been so entranced with her thoughts that she hadn't seen her brother come up to her, or felt his hands gently cradling her face.

"Sorry, I got lost in thought."

"What are you going to do when you see Weasley again then?" Blaise asked curiously, a suggestive look on his face as he winked at her.

"That's none of your business," Gwen sang.

"Is it just me that thinks this is a bit weird?" Theo sighed, letting go of his sister's face, but he stayed close by her side.

"It's not my fault that you followed in my footsteps." Gwen shrugged. Theo angled his head to look at Ginny, whose forearms were resting on the counter and she shrugged, clearly enjoying this exchange more than he thought necessary.

"You Notts sure do like your Weasleys," Ginny laughed lightly whilst Theo scowled.

"Do you know what?" Gwen whispered, eyes rounding. Suddenly recalling the one Nott that absolutely abhorred the Weasleys.

"What?" Ginny asked.

"Our Father now has two children that love 'Blood Traitors' so to speak, and they're both Weasleys." Gwen barked out a short, maniacal laugh, hand to her cheek, her right hand resting on the counter, fork loosely grasped between her fingers. "Oh I can't fucking wait to see his face when he finds out...right before I take him down." Gwen's facial expression darkened.

"I called dibs, but I'm willing to share," Ginny piped up. Shooting Gwen a meaningful look at Theo.

"Deal, together?"

"Together." Ginny agreed, both females ignoring Theo, his lips pressed into a thin line.

Things may be bizarre and strange, and she would have to learn how to interact with others, and generally just _live_ again. However there was one thing she did know, for the first time in years she had hope. The flames deep within her soul had been rekindled, and she would do anything to make sure that her brother and his friends survived this accursed war, down to her last breath.

...

It had been a long night. A long, tiresome night. He trudged up the pathway to the house, the sand kicking up into his shoes. He could hear voices from inside, and that the cottage was lit up like a Christmas tree.

"You're back earlier than expected," Charlie almost didn't see Bill leaning up against the house next to the open doorway.

"And you're lurking in the shadows," Charlie smirked, saddling up next to his brother.

"Recon went alright?"

"Spying on Macnair is infinitely easier than Theodus Nott. Fucking horrible man." Charlie shoved his hand into his short hair; it was now growing out longer than his ears again. Charlie had missed a slicing hex that had been thrown his way during a fight on a mission about a month ago. He was unharmed but unfortunately he couldn't say the same about his hair; Molly Weasley tried to look sympathetic as she evened it out, but Charlie saw the delighted twinkle in her eye.

"Speaking of Notts. I remember you feeling quite warm and special towards one in particular." Bill smiled softly, but Charlie heard it in his tone, his brother was keeping something from him. Charlie saw Sirius walk past the doorway, Arthur and Remus following him as they both entered the kitchen.

"We aren't having this discussion right now, _William_ ," Charlie hissed under his breath, whirling around. It was still too raw. Even after all this time. Nothing made the pain go away, not the girl's that had worked at the Dragon's reserve. There had been a couple, mainly to satisfy his needs and whilst he felt sorry for them when they realized that he didn't want anything more; their eyes were always the wrong shade of blue, their hair was never dark enough, they were never fierce or sarcastic enough. They weren't her.

"So it's William now, _Charles_?" Bill followed his brother. Refusing to let him walk away from him without telling him, he needed to know and if anyone was going to tell him, it was going to be him. Bill loved all of his siblings, but for awhile it had just been him and Charlie. Charlie was his partner in crime growing up. Charlie slid down the sandy slope as he headed towards the dark waves that were crashing onto the shore. "CHARLIE!"

Charlie finally stopped, the water lapping over his boots. He closed his eyes tightly, shoving his hands in his jeans, his leather jacket protected him from most of the biting cold wind, but some of it still got through. He welcomed it openly, she loved the cold and it helped him feel closer to her. It always did.

 _"Charlie!" Gwen laughed breathily as Charlie threw a snowball at her, missing at she ducked._

 _"Fine, I surrender, Gwendolyn," Charlie raised his hands in the air. Gwen narrowed her eyes at him, but slowly strolled towards him. Charlie looked down at her and saw the snowflakes caught in her dark eyelashes. Charlie's heart started to pound, reaching down he adjusted her house scarf around her neck._

 _"Hey, Charlie," Gwen smiled sweetly._

 _"Yes, love?" Charlie grinned brightly._

 _"I'm not sorry." Charlie's brow puckered in confusion, but he stood understood when her wand that she had concealed behind her sleeves flicked and he felt the cold snow hit into the back of his head._

 _"Oh it's on," Charlie pursed his lips, reaching out to grab her._

 _"You have to catch me first!" Gwen laughed whimsically, running away._

Charlie was brought back to his cold, hard reality when Bill put his hand on Charlie's shoulder; the reality where she wasn't here anymore.

"Charlie," Charlie twisted around to look at his brother, who was scratching his head, anxiously regarding his brother.

"What's wrong, Bill?" Charlie felt dread in the pit of his stomach, something's happened.

"Draco Malfoy had a mission to complete and he was successful, Sirius just brought news."

"Why do you look so worried if it was successful?" There's more, there's always more.

"Well they had to leave him so he's in the hands of the Death Eaters right now." Bill said and Charlie cursed under his breath, he knew how important Draco was to Ginny, and to her boyfriend... _her_ brother, Charlie was thankful he had yet to meet the youngest Nott. He wasn't sure he was ready to see those eyes- _her eyes_.

Charlie's eyes looked back up at his brother, whose own blue eyes still looked a bit guarded.

"Wait. You said _they_ ," Charlie noted astutely.

"Charlie...she's alive. Draco's mission was to get her and she's alive. Gwen is alive."

...

 **Flashback**

 **Malfoy Manor**

 **Lucius' Study**

 **Friday, January 16th, 1998**

"I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you correctly, if you would mind horribly, please repeat yourself," Narcissa's fingers danced on the gaunt man's shoulder, a sickly sweet smile on his face.

"Your sister wished me to inform you that your son is down in the Dungeons and that he will be suitably punished before he is released." The man spat, Narcissa was far too calm for his liking. The poor thing didn't even see it coming when Narcissa whipped out her wand and sent a slicing hex across the man's chest, sputtering as blood gurgled out of his wound and he sank to the floor.

"Cissa, I-" Lucius chose that moment to enter the study, but quickly shut the door behind him when he saw the convulsing man on the floor, his blood flowing freely. "What in Merlin's name are you thinking? You can't just kill one of Bellatrix's men!"

"Too late," Narcissa drawled coldly, she felt numb, the one thing she prayed would never happened was happening. She was unable to protect her son. In some small way she just wanted to hurt someone like she was hurting. She knew it had been a rash move on her part, inhumane and futile.

Lucius however seemed to be thinking clearly and swiftly kneeled beside the man, whispering a healing spell under his breath, relieved that the man's wound actually began to close, the skin knitting itself back together.

"Cissa, you are frightening me," Lucius said slowly, carefully approaching his wife who was now bawling her eyes out. Angry tears spilling out of her eyes.

"Knowing Bella whatever punishment she has decided on for Draco will result in his death." Narcissa gasped in between sobs, flinging herself into her husband's arms. Lucius' hand moved upwards and he smoothed down her hair, making shushing noises and rocking her back and forth. "I-I-I didn't m-mean to h-h-hurt him. I was just so angry, I c-c-c-couldn't see straight."

"It'll be alright, Cissa." Lucius assured her, "it'll be alright." They both knew how empty a promise it was, but it didn't stop them from holding onto one another desperately. Nothing was okay.

"They fucked with the wrong family," Lucius said suddenly, Narcissa's sobs quieted somewhat at that, her gaze still locked guiltily on the poor, twitching man on the floor.

"What do you mean?" Narcissa leaned back.

"I think we've sat on the sidelines for far too long, Cissa. I think it's time we join the fight," Lucius arched a brow, a slow grin growing on his face. "I think Draco would be proud, no?"

"So you're saying we're going make them pay?" Narcissa rolled the words off of her tongue, blue eyes now locked on grey ones.

"I may not have a wand, but that's not going to stop me from fighting," Lucius said darkly.

"So you've decided to stop being an arse and have finally come around then?" Narcissa sniffed loudly.

"Well I fear I'll lose my family if I don't...accept that Draco is in love with a Mudbl- _Muggleborn_ ," Lucius paused, the word tasted foreign and odd as it exited his mouth. "Or if I don't fight back when I need to."

"W-W-We need to let him get punished. Otherwise they may kill him for us trying to interfere." Narcissa managed to get out, despite her earlier statement, it was their only real option. This way, there was a chance they would all be able to make it out of this alive. "If they wanted to kill him, he would be dead...right?"

"You're right, if they were going to kill him, they would have done it already." Lucius pulled away from her, but moved his hands to rub up and down her upper arms.

"So we're going to fight is what you're saying?" Narcissa quirked any eyebrow, lightly swiping at her pink nose.

"When the time is right, love. That's when we make our move and strike," Lucius fingers danced upwards, and Narcissa shivered involuntarily. _My Lucius is coming back to me, it's about time._ Lucius cradled Narcissa's face in his palm, and he leaned down and kissed her forehead. "For now try not to hex anyone, next time you may actually kill one." _It's strange, I have yet to kill someone...I did just come scarily close, but if anyone gets between me and my son after he's released then they won't be lucky as this poor bloke. I will do anything for my son, anything._

The two Malfoys stood like that for awhile, foreheads pressed together, breath mingling. Leaning on one another for strength, hoping that Bellatrix would be merciful, and that Draco's punishment wouldn't be too severe. They wouldn't be able to bear it if it was.

...

 **Malfoy Manor**

 **Dungeons**

 **Tuesday, January 27th, 1998**

 _A monster._

"Draco?" Luna's musical voice roused the fatigued boy, he sat up groggily, holding his head which had previously lay in Luna's lap.

"What happened?" Draco asked, he knew _exactly_ what had happened. At least he thought he did. It was a jumbled, blurry assortment of images that didn't quite connect together that plagued his dreams. It must be real, or this was all a horrid, horrid nightmare. Draco hoped that's what this was, that the Dark Lord was a figment of his imagination and when he woke up he would see those warm, chocolate brown eyes that he craved to see peering down at him.

Alas he twisted around and was instead met with calm, silvery blue ones. "You're alright," Draco let out a relieved breath, shifting so he was facing Luna, and he tugged her into a light embrace. "You scared the shit out of us, Lu."

"It appears Theodus Nott was the one who captured me," Luna whispered lightly in his ear, her breath hot. The physical contact seemed to ground him, letting him know that this was real. As much as he wished it wasn't.

"It doesn't matter, Draco. You're still you, and I know this isn't what you wanted," Luna murmured softly, fingers gently stroking the back of his head. "I'm sorry."

Snow. Darkness. Bright light. The cold, spherical mistress in the sky. A low, guttural growl. Heavy breathing, he was running. He couldn't run fast enough. Amber and gold eyes. Teeth sinking into his leg. The pain, wishing it was over as the acidic feeling burned its way through his veins. Twitching, his body was twitching as he lay in the bitter, biting white powder. Red, it was painting the white as it spilled out of him and seeping into the Earth. It would never be the same.

"Bellatrix was the one who decided, the Dark Lord was talking to you about it when you were...hanging, you were pretty out of it. I don't know if you remember or not." Dean spoke up, and Draco raised his head to silently examine the dark skinned boy. The Goblin, and Ollivander were in a separate cell; Draco winced when he saw how sallow and pale the older wizard was.

"Figures," Draco responded tartly, letting go of Luna, and turning to face Dean. "How long have we been in here?"

Dean's head lowered and swivelled to the wall, a hand running over the rough surface. "I've marked the number of days I've been in here, and I added the initials of other people when they got brought in here. It'll be a fortnight tomorrow for you."

"Shit," Draco's mind raced as he thought how worried Theo, Blaise, Ginny and now Gwen would be. Well Gwen maybe not as much but still.

"I just wanted to let you know that I don't mind..." Dean started but he didn't finish when he saw Draco's pained expression.

"Draco Malfoy you listen to me." Luna said firmly, and Draco found himself enraptured by how serious she was being. "This doesn't change anything, I for one don't care one iota. _She_ won't either. Trust me. It doesn't change who you are, you are a brilliant wizard and anyone who matters won't care." Luna looked him directly in the eye. _Monster. She doesn't deserve to be saddled with me like this, she didn't deserve to be saddled with me at all. I can't possibly ask her to stick around now that I'm a wretched monster._

"Lu-"

"She's right," Dean added quietly, "I know what you've been doing, you're not a bad person, Malfoy. You didn't deserve it, but it doesn't matter. You're still that guy that whilst seeming cold and indifferent was helping us out at Hogwarts, with the risk of being exposed."

"I'm a monster, Thomas."

Luna's slap rang clear and bouncing off of the walls, tears streaming down her face, Draco gingerly reached up to touch his cheek where his skin felt hot and the stinging prickled across his face.

"You Draco Malfoy are _good_. You are good. You can tell yourself all you want that you aren't but you are. You risked your life to save the sister of your best friend and you paid the price, but _what_ you are does not define _who_ you are." Luna's musical voice trembled as she crawled towards him, kissing his cheek where her handprint was growing visible even in the dimly lit darkness.

"I'm a Werewolf now, Luna."

Silence reigned for a long time after that, Luna had crawled into Draco's lap and he held her as she drifted off into sleep. To him, Luna had become like a little sister, and she clearly cared for him; he had never seen the blonde angry before, and he most certainly did not want it to be directed at him again.

Dean broke the silence, "I miss him." At Draco's arched eyebrow, Dean elaborated, "Seamus."

"Ahh, you miss your little leprechaun," Draco nodded his head, a small grin on his face.

"Shut up, he's not that short," Dean grumbled, drawing his knees to his chest.

"Him being Irish has nothing to do with my comment as all," Draco laughed dryly. Dean clearly did not appreciate his sarcasm, but Draco caught the corner of his lips twitch upwards.

Dean's face grew grave again as him eyes locked on Luna, "you've been forgiven for your incompetence which means you'll be let out soon. When the time is right, if you decide to rescue us, make sure she gets out."

"When you lot get rescued, it will be all of you, I swear," Draco promised, and Dean was taken aback but the genuine sincerity in the platinum blonde's eyes. To him he was still coming to terms that Draco was on their side, and that he wasn't as much of a git as he used to be.

"What are you going to do when you get out?"

"I'm going to reign hell and fire down on these bastards," Draco swore, his hands tightening around Luna. _If they want to win this war they'll have to go through me, and I swear on my life that won't happen. I'll tear every single one of them down first. Damn bastards don't have a clue what they're in for._ Draco's eyes flashed with a vengeance. This had gone on long enough, and they messed with the wrong family. Draco knew his Mother was on board, and she was a highly dangerous woman, and Draco also knew that whilst his Father had been misguided, family came first, and they had now properly fucked with the Malfoys. Lucius Malfoy was not going to forget that any time soon. Hopefully his Mother was getting through to his Father on the matters of Blood Purity. _They fucked with the wrong people. I'm not even going to get into what Red, Theo or Blaise is going to do. I really hope they're all okay._ Draco sighed as he listened to Luna's light snores. _I really do._


	17. Safe

**HAPPY NEW YEAR!**

 **I haven't posted a proper chapter for this in a really long time and I feel super bad about that.**

 **I did post a drabble in my Christmas Drabbles series for chic. geek. fangirl. freak as her Christmas gift. If you want some cute Ginny and Theo fluff then that's exactly what you want.**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter, it is a bit dark, and gloomy...sort of, but it's also nice and sweet, somewhat. The next chapter will be much nicer, trust me. If there's anything you wish to see, now would be the time to put your two cents in, since I've pretty much planned what's going to happen from here on out.**

 **My tumblr: indiebluecrown. tumblr. com**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's are mine.**

* * *

 **Malfoy Manor**

 **Thursday, January 29th, 1998**

"There he is, my beloved nephew," Bellatrix grinned crookedly as Draco entered the library. _Beloved my arse. Merlin knows why we're even in here, I doubt she knows how to read anymore._

Draco's eyes darted to the other occupants of the room, his Mother, his Father and-

"I told you we were going to have a nice, long chat," Fenrir guffawed, it was a deep, guttural sound. Draco noted how Narcissa grasped onto Lucius' hand. _I wonder if that's to stop her from attacking him, or to stop Father._

"Failure must be punished, no hard feelings, Draco?" Bellatrix stuck her bottom lip out, nodding her head as if she was speaking to a child.

"All is forgiven, Aunt Bella," Draco smiled tightly, desperately trying to ignore the other werewolf in the room. Hoping that no one could see the small beads of sweat that were gathering around his forehead. _Don't think about it, don't think about it._ In an attempt to distract himself, he dug his fingernails into his palm. Hating how attuned he was to Greyback's every movement, hearing how his teeth were grinding back and forth in his mouth, his heavy breathing as his chest rose and fell.

"Well you'll stay in your room here in the Manor for a few days and then you'll return to Hogwarts and resume your duties. Understood?"

"Yes, Aunt Bella," Draco gritted out.

"Off you go, I had the House Elves clean up this morning, lunch will be served at noon as always," Bellatrix dismissed him. Narcissa and Lucius shared a relieved look that none other than Draco noticed.

It would be too risky to go and speak with them now, so he would have to wait until things had died down again. Narcissa nodded encouragingly, telling him to do as his Aunt said, the unspoken sentiment pouring out of her eyes. _Before Bellatrix changed her mind._ Fenrir had been a been a reminder of what would happen or could happen if he failed again.

His body felt numb as he put one foot in front of the other as he left. It didn't feel real, none of it. He was going to wake up and be back at Nott Cottage. Ginny laughing, Blaise joking about and drinking, Theo shaking his head and stealing a kiss from the redhead. Gwen would be there too, happy and smiling, free at last. Except it was all real, a nightmare that didn't end.

That night his dreams were plagued with horrific images, and nothing helped. He covered his ears, as he heard the screams. Someone was being tortured downstairs. A constant nightmare, one he couldn't escape in his dreams anymore. He rocked himself back and forth in a ball on his bed until he eventually fell asleep for the fourth time that night. This time it was a brief reprieve as he fell into a dreamless sleep.

...

 **Saturday, February 7th, 1998**

 **Nott Cottage**

Weeks of nothing. Not a whisper, a hiss or a murmur. Nothing. No one knew anything about Draco; where he was, if he was even alive. If they had left him to succumb to his injuries. It was driving Ginny mental, the not knowing was the worst part. If they knew he was dead, at least then they would know what to do with themselves.

Weeks of surviving at Hogwarts, trying to not draw attention to themselves, whilst rebelling in small ways. Nothing that could be proved of course. Alecto was livid when she went to complain to Snape. Insisting that she put Longbottom and Weasley in detention as an example. "Do you have proof, Alecto?" "Proof? The ruddy brats did it-" " _Proof_. Alecto. If you have none, then you simply cannot punish them."

Alecto had screamed until she made herself hoarse about _who_ did he _think_ he was. She could do whatever she wished. Snape had turned a disapproving sneer in her direction and said in a bored tone, "that's just it. You can't do whatever you wish, for the simple reason that I am the Headmaster and I'm telling you can't punish students without good reason. Trust me, I'd love for whoever is responsible for sacking your office to be found, but you need concrete proof. Wouldn't want to punish the wrong student whilst the real culprit roams free now would we?"

Ginny was staring dejectedly out of one of the living room windows, curled up on the couch under a large, warm dark green blanket. They had snuck out of Hogwarts the previous evening as they did every Friday. No one had spoken to anyone else however since then, the mood sombre and heavy in the cottage. Gwen stayed in her room. Theo was currently in their bedroom trying to get some sleep; he had been on a mission for Macnair the last few days, and as per usual he preferred not to talk about it. Blaise was in the kitchen, sitting on the counter, nursing his second bottle of Firewhisky for the evening. Invitations for Daphne's wedding to Flint had gone out early that day; the wedding was set for the fourteenth of June later that year. "She's always wanted a Winter wedding, that moron doesn't know the first thing about her," Blaise had snarled as he crumpled up the letter, throwing it into the fireplace moments later.

Ginny sighed for the third time in the last five minutes, and was about to go and join Blaise on his mission to drown his sorrows when she saw him. It was on the cusp of Dusk, the light fading fast, and there he was. She rubbed her eyes with her fingers quickly, but he was still there. Tears began to well up in her eyes and she swiped them away fiercely. He was home.

"He's here! He's Home. Draco, Draco's here!" Ginny yelled, not even waiting to see if the other's had heard her properly before she threw her blanket back and dashed for the door. Flinging it open, she didn't care about the fact that she was in socks, a thin pair of pyjama pants, or one of Theo's navy blue shirts. Dashing out into the snow, cropped hair whipping out behind her, the cold seeping into the soles of her feet. She didn't care, nothing else mattered besides him. Making sure he was real. Making sure he was really home.

"DRAY!" She exclaimed as she threw herself into his arms. The pale haired boy was obviously taken aback, stumbling backwards a few steps before steadying himself again, his arms tentatively wrapping around her. Mint. It was him. The crisp smell of mint filled her nostrils and she knew it was really and truly him.

"Hello, Red," Draco murmured into her shoulder, one of his hands moving to cradle her head; freezing when he felt her hair. "You cut your hair."

"What, you don't like it?"

"It's different is all," Draco responded quietly, sadly.

"What's wrong?" Ginny pulled back and looked into his grey eyes, grey eyes filled with sorrow.

"I-I'm..."

"Draco," Blaise whispered, voice thick with emotion from behind them. He was dressed similarly to Ginny with the exception that his feet were bare, and his shirt was unbuttoned, exposing his dark chest.

"Blaise," Draco smiled softly.

"You know I would have killed you myself if you didn't come back," Blaise said as he moved forward, Ginny stepped out of the way as the two boys embraced. She held a hand to her mouth as she watched them. Brothers reunited.

Theo was walking across the snow, Gwen a few steps behind him, both with identical faces of shock and relief. Theo didn't even say anything before he joined in their hug, the three of them stood like that in silence. They were together and things were almost whole again. Without their other third, Blaise and Theo had been lost as to what to do. Friends since they were little, brothers in everything except blood. Ginny padded over to Gwen, holding her hand as the snow began to fall gently. Something had changed, Ginny could sense it, but all that mattered was he was home. He was with them again, and at that moment, things began to look up. They were all going to survive this. All of them.

After their emotional reunion, they all went inside and silence reigned. As if they were all afraid that if they said anything, he would be gone again.

Draco was the first to break through the silence, "I'm a Werewolf."

"What?" Blaise uttered, dropping his tea cup, the porcelain shattering as it hit the ground. Draco stared at the broken fragments intensely, before waving his fingers and the pieces flew back together, good as new.

"If that's a joke, it isn't funny," Theo growled, Ginny squeezed his hand, sitting on the arm of the armchair he was currently in. Gwen was standing against the wall, arms folded over her chest as she avoided looking at anyone else, eyes burning into the roaring flames in the fireplace.

"It was my punishment for failing. Bellatrix decided. Fenrir bit me," Draco deadpanned.

"I'm going to kill her," Blaise promised lowly, Draco's eyes met his for the first time since they had come inside, having been staring intently on his clasped hands in his lap for the longest time.

"Blaise-"

"I. Am. Going. To. Kill. Her. Slowly. For Longbottom's parents, for you. I am going to kill her," Blaise repeated again coldly.

"I get Fenrir," Ginny spat. "That bastard went after my brother and then he bit you? Not to mention everyone else he's purposefully bitten. Remus. You don't mess with my family."

"We should start keeping a list of who we're going to kill or torture, it's getting quite long," Gwen laughed darkly.

"I call dibs on Macnair, in case that wasn't clear," Blaise said in a perfectly amiable tone; a far cry from the murderous look on his face a few moments ago.

"You aren't..." Draco trailed off.

"Scared? Disgusted? Fuck no, Dray," Theo frowned, getting up and kneeling in front of Draco. "You're still you. You may get a bit crankier than usual for a week every month before you transform into a wolf for a night, but other than that, everything is the same."

"You don't think I'm a mon-"

"If you even say that word I will hex you until you can't see straight," Ginny interrupted him, blue eyes blazing.

"You sound like Luna," Draco said with a small smile.

"You've seen her? Is she alright? Was Dean there?" Ginny jumped up, rapidly firing questions.

"I've seen her, she was as good as she could be, everything considered. Last time I saw her that is. Thomas was there. I'm sure his Leprechaun will be over the moon to know he's still alive."

"Make sure not to call Finnegan a Leprechaun when you tell him that, Draco," Theo shook his head. "You're definitely still the prat we all know and love."

"Aww, Teddy. You love me?" Draco smirked, feeling more like himself than he had in months. He was home, he was safe. The only thing that would make this better was if she was-"Blaise, my Galleon," Draco's head snapped up.

"Shit, yea," Blaise reached into his pants pocket and retrieved the Galleon. "She'll be overjoyed to hear from you, mate. She's been checking in every day," Blaise informed him as he handed over the fake Galleon.

Draco held it in his hand, and hesitated. Gwen seemed to notice this, "Send her a message to let her know you're okay. You think you're burdening her, that she won't want you now. You weren't worth it before, and she definitely won't want you now that you're a Werewolf. That's bullshit and you know it." Gwen cleared her throat when she finished, it's how she felt when she thought about Charlie. She had changed exponentially from when she last saw him ten years ago, she was a broken version of the girl he once knew. She knew that she could go see him at the safe house the Weasleys had all moved to. The twins and Charlie couldn't risk sneaking into the flat above the joke shop anymore. Theodus was too close, too obsessed. Now they all stayed at Shell Cottage when they weren't on Order missions. One message sent to Sirius and it could happen within a matter of hours. She was scared, she wasn't the same, he wasn't the same. A lot could happen in ten years. She wasn't ready to face him, not yet.

Draco swallowed thickly, before holding it firmly in his palm and sending a message. _I'm back. I love you._ The response was almost immediate, and he sagged in relief when he felt the coin heat up. _Thank Goodness you idiot. I love you too._ Draco was going to respond before another message replaced it. _Don't do anything stupid like that again. I need you._ Draco read the words again and again, taking in a deep breath he sent a reply. _I need you too, Granger._

"Granger won't care, mate," Theo assured him.

"Mate, she created that House Elves rights thing, S.P.E.W. or whatever," Blaise reminded him, picking the tea cup off of the ground and moving to put it on the kitchen counter.

"Trust me, Hermione won't care one bit," Ginny whispered, strolling over to him and squeezing his shoulder comfortingly.

"I'm going to sleep, night everyone...I'm glad you're home, Draco," Gwen smiled softly before retreating to the comfort of her own room.

"Can I...can I sleep with you guys tonight?" Draco asked, looking in Ginny's direction, hating how pathetic he sounded, but he had gotten used to sleeping in close quarters with the others whilst they were in the Dungeons. The last week and a bit that he was forced to sleep in his old room had been horrible. The nightmares overwhelmed him, it was always the same. Snow. Blood. Pain. Greyback haunted his nightmares and he hated it. Abhorred it to his very core.

"Course," Theo answered, nodding as he rubbed at his nape.

"Won't it be cozy? All four of us?" Blaise grinned, striding towards Ginny and Theo's room.

"All _four_ of us?" Theo repeated dumbly, and Ginny snorted, kissing his cheek and then following the Italian into her bedroom.

"C'mon, Teddy. It'll be fine," Draco smirked, standing up and throwing an arm across his best mate's shoulders.

That night he didn't dream of snow, or blood, or teeth ripping into his flesh. It was warm, Blaise's snores were comforting, and Ginny's tight hold on him kept him grounded. Theo's head was resting on his shoulder and it reminded him of days long forgotten. Of naps in the middle of the day after they had exhausted themselves after running around in the gardens, and 'playing' Quidditch. Draco dreamed of honey brown curls, hair that used to be bushy, but had calmed down on its' own. He dreamed of warm, chocolate brown eyes and broad smiles. He was home, and he was safe. For now at least, and that was good enough.

* * *

 **This chapter is for prattster666, stupefyBlack, and chic. geek. fangirl. freak, I hope you liked it lovelies! Love you all so much xxxx**

 **Love you guys,**

 **Indieblue xxx**


	18. Too Close for Comfort

**Hello there lovely humans!**

 **As many of you know, two phenomenal humans unfortunately passed away in the past few days. One of them being Alan Rickman and the other being David Bowie. Even though I do not like Snape's character at all (he's extremely well written and layered), I just do not like him. Alan Rickman however played him perfectly, and he was such an amazing human, and I will miss him.**

 **It seems like just yesterday Ginny was going to the cottage with Theo, but we're getting closer and closer to the Manor scene. Those scenes will probably be extremely long, as well as the Battle of Hogwarts scenes. Either way, I want to thank everyone who follows this story so much! We reached 40 followers! How crazy is that? FTT just reached 450 and I'm blown away by both numbers right now. Just blown away!**

 **Many thanks to stupefyBlack for her help on part of this chapter, thank you so, so much lovie xxx**

 **I hope you like this chapter Kitty Cat! xxx**

 **My tumblr: indiebluecrown. tumblr. com**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's belong to me.**

* * *

 **Wednesday, 11th February, 1998**

 **Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

 **Headmaster's office**

"You're telling me that after months of small rebellion, that the troublesome students just upped and vanished?" Snape drawled, sitting behind at his desk, looking haggard and as if the conversation was draining him. He leaned back in his chair, elbows on the arm rests, fingers linked and covering part of his face; eyes staring dully at the Carrow twins.

"We cannot locate them," Amycus hissed between clenched teeth.

"I wonder what the Dark Lord will do to you now that you've managed to lose several students," Snape sneered.

"You're just as responsible for this as we are," Alecto snarled, eyes flashing dangerously, she lunged at him, but Amycus reached out and harshly pulled her back; her short hair flying into her face as he did.

"On the contrary, as far as he is concerned, you two are the ones involved with dealing with meddlesome students. You are the _disciplinarians_ , are you not?"

"The Longbottom boy and the Weasley girl still come to classes occasionally," Amycus spat.

"Still?" Alecto laughed maniacally, head tipped backwards, hands moving to wrap around herself and clutch her sides.

"Longbottom hasn't been to classes in weeks, I know this for a fact," Alecto's laughter stopped abruptly, and her tongue darted out of her mouth and ran along her top lip slowly, her left hand moving to grip the hair at the side of her head. "If he does show his face...then he's _mine_."

"The Weasley girl still comes to classes, does she not?" Snape asked, sounding almost bored at this point.

" _Yes_ ," Alecto answered cautiously, grip tightening on her hair, knuckles turning white.

"So the only real troublemakers that are missing are Finnegan and Longbottom?" Snape arched a brow.

"No. Finnegan comes to classes as well, most of them disappear straight after classes. It's only Longbottom that has vanished into thin air," Amycus responded this time, hands laced together in front of him.

"You are both wasting my time, Longbottom is but one student. If the whole lot of them disappear and don't come back, then let me know. Otherwise find other ways to occupy yourselves, not including wasting my valuable time," Snape scowled; waving his hands in dismissal. He picked up a quill, leaned forward and began to scratch away at a piece of parchment in front of him.

Alecto was irate, her heels clicking away furiously as she stormed out of the office; Amycus mere steps behind her.

"I am going to find that boy!" Alecto growled, stomping her foot petulantly when they reached the bottom of the stairs. Today she had gone for a more modest outfit. Black leather pants, a plum bodice, black stilettos, and simple, burgundy outer robes that were unfastened.

"Why is he so important, pet?" Amycus queried, even though he already knew the answer to that particular question.

"His Father is pretty much dead, I have to enact my revenge somehow, don't I?" Alecto tilted her head to the side, grimacing, her tone was one as if she was talking to a bothersome child.

"Yes, dear," Amycus breathed heavily through his nostrils, a tight smile as he leaned forward and kiss her forehead.

"The next time I see that boy, I will make him beg for his life before I end it," Alecto stepped back from her brother, raising her hand and pointing at him with her index finger. "That is a promise."

Back in his office, Snape was rolling his eyes and muttering under his breath to himself, "bumbling idiots." _Those brats are probably holed up in the Room of Requirement._

...

 **Thursday, 12th February, 1998**

 **Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

 **Room of Requirement**

"You can't leave this room, Longbottom," Theo rolled his eyes.

"I won't be cowed into hiding whilst everyone else is risking their lives!" Neville said in a firm tone.

They were all gathered in Neville's tent. His tent had several plants strewn about, a hammock in the back with a stack of Herbology and Healing books next to it, a small kitchen, and on the lower level was a table with six chairs. The tent whilst roomy was also very sparse; Neville wasn't in it much. He spent most of his time dealing with the younger students that stopped by some days, ensuring that everything was running smoothly, and tending to the wounded. Mainly he listened to Potterwatch with a sacred devotion, trying to desperately learn any and everything he could.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Ginny whispered into Draco's ear whilst Neville at across from each other at the table and argued back and forth. The redhead and blonde were standing by the tent flap, it was soon time to head back home. However they decided to come to check in with Neville and see how things were on his end.

"As good as I can be," Draco smiled tightly.

The previous night had been the Full Moon, and it had killed them all when they had to let Draco go out into the woods to roam alone. Ginny had stayed by the edge of the wards all night listening to his lonely howls. Blaise had been in the attic doing the same, when at some point it became too much, he couldn't stand being alone with his thoughts. Gwen and Theo were in his room, staring out of the window when he found them. All three of them gathered some blankets; Blaise grabbed a bottle of Firewhisky and four glasses on his way past the kitchen. The three Purebloods strode across the snow, it crunched beneath their shoes as they moved. Ginny didn't really acknowledge them besides a silent glance and to snuggle into Theo's side when he sat beside her.

"You really shouldn't be here today, you must be exhausted, Dray," Ginny pursed her lips, hand touching his arm lightly.

"Can't show any sign of weakness," Draco winced when her hand accidentally brushed by his ribs. At Ginny's worried look, he scoffed, "for some reason, the wolf side of me decided to smash himself into a few trees it seems."

"There is no talking to you, you Gryffindors are so obstinate," Theo let out an exasperated sigh, throwing his hands in the air. Draco flinched at the abrupt noise, and that seemed to cement in Ginny's mind that they definitely needed to go home, now.

"Teddy," Ginny called, trying to get her boyfriend's attention. The Slytherin's head turned in her direction, one hand on the table, the other on his thigh. Ginny made a subtle gesture in Draco's direction, which did not go unnoticed by the Werewolf.

"I might feel like shit, but I'm not bloody fragile-"

"Draco Malfoy." Ginny stated in a no-nonsense tone, "we are going home right now."

"Fine," Draco sighed heavily.

"I'll see you at home, love," Ginny directed at Theo, "night Neville, love you." As they both turned to leave, Neville's face dawned as he recalled something.

"Blaise stopped by earlier to let me know he was going to be with Nott Senior tonight, he got called in suddenly," Neville rushed out, they halted in their tracks.

"That doesn't sound good," Draco whispered lowly, fists clenching.

Ginny reached up and squeezed his shoulder, "there's nothing we can do about it right now. All we can do it wait for him to get home."

"I hate all this waiting _bullshite_!" Draco snarled viciously, teeth bared; to her merit, Ginny didn't flinch not even a little.

"We all do mate," Theo said quietly.

"Let's just go home," Draco sighed tiredly, rubbing at his temple.

"Ok, Dray. Let's go home," Ginny nodded, shooting Neville and Theo one last look before she left the tent.

...

Blaise was beginning to really hate Theodus Nott, as if Macnair killing Muggleborns families and Muggles in general for the hell of it wasn't bad enough. Now Theodus had dragged him out into the middle of bloody nowhere. Not to mention Greyback was with them. Two of the people Blaise hated most in the world in one place. He was just calculating his odds of killing them both and the three other mediocre Wizards that were with them. Then he thought about how Red and Gwen's wrath at not letting them get to enact whatever dastardly plans they had for the men was not worth all the stress.

Sand. Sea. The salty smell of the sea filling the air. The sand was getting everywhere, he probably had enough to build a ruddy sand castle in his boots. It seemed like there was nothing but sand and sea around them for miles. The moon was still quite bright in the sky, washing over the land and the sea.

"Nott, what are we doing here?" Greyback sneered in a gruff voice.

"I think we're getting closer and closer to the where the Weasley's are hiding," Theodus replied, "I want you to try and sniff out their scent."

"It's a bit difficult with all the wind and the smell of the sea is powerful if you hadn't noticed."

 _Shit. Shell Cottage. Shit._ Blaise had never been, but he knew that it was by the beach, and if Theodus had gotten this close... _no, Blaise. It has a Fidelus charm on it. Still shit. Got to warn them that he's getting closer. I'm glad the stupid twins and their older brother_ _stopped sneaking into their flat above their joke shop. That was reckless and foolhardy at best._

"Zabini!" Theodus said in an abrasive tone, snapping his fingers. _Did he just snap his fucking fingers and expect me to just come immediately?_ Blaise growled mentally, but outwardly he was stoic and impassive as he strode over to the older man's side.

"Yes, Sir?"

"Go with Regan and see if you can find anything," Theodus commanded, shooing Blaise to his left. _Great, more sand._ Blaise cursed under his breath as he made his way to the left, not even bothering to pay attention to whether Regan was following or not. It was all he was good for anyways; he didn't have the intellectual prowess to be anything but a sheep following whatever orders were given to him. Blaise kicked up more sand than he intended as he headed away from the sea; the only indication that Regan was following were the sounds of his footsteps as he moved through the sand behind him.

 _This isn't good. Nott Senior is too close, thankfully there is a Fidelus charm or this would a disaster of epic proportions. Doesn't stop me from feeling ill at the thought that he even got this close. How did he get this close? After hearing Gwen's story the only logical explanation for his obsession with the Weasleys is because he thinks if they're gone...she'll go back to being a good girl? That doesn't even make sense. His mind is probably such a twisted mess, that not even he can discern why he has this need to find them. Whatever happens, I hope that the Weasleys stay safe, mainly for Red's sake...but they don't seem that terrible._ Blaise groaned mentally when he heard Regan singing lowly to himself, _this is going to be a long night._

...

"Well that's unsettling, Freddie," George said beside his twin.

The twins were standing by the edge of the wards, watching Theodus walk up and down the beach mere feet away from them on the other side.

"Would you both stop watching him?" Charlie shook his head, walking over to his two younger brothers.

"He hates us quite a bit,"

"Personally, I've never wronged the man."

"Of course you have though, haven't you, Charles" Fred grinned cheekily over his shoulder at his brother.

"Me?" Charlie blinked innocently.

"If we didn't know better, we would almost buy that."

"Plus, we pay attention."

"He started whistling when he found out she was rescued," George pointed out, "you remember? Whistling and skipping."

"I can whistle and skip," Charlie scowled.

"The point is, Nott Senior is right there, he hates our family, you were in love with his daughter-"

"How do you know that?" Charlie asked incredulously. Fred and George exchanged a knowing look, turning to face their brother, each putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh my dear sweet brother," They said simultaneously, shaking their heads, both patting his shoulders condescendingly in sync with one another. George smiled crookedly, whilst Fred feigned naivety.

"We know things," they said together before jogging back into the house leaving their brother alone before he could say anything else.

It was the first time he had been so close to Theodus Nott, and it was taking everything in him not to rush out of the wards and take him by surprise. Sirius' report stated that Gwen had been kept in the Nott Manor basement for ten years. _Ten years_. Charlie stepped as close as he could to the wards without actually touching them, watching Nott Senior with a seething stare. Theodus started to walk up the slight sand slope, probably to gather his men and turn in for the night. When he paused, body stiff, back rigid. Theodus closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, and then opening them. Changing his direction and walking towards Charlie. Halting inches away from the wards. The same eyes he had fallen in love with over ten years ago were staring at him. They were different though, cold, full of hatred. No. They weren't the same eyes. They may look the same, but Theodus' were nothing like the blue orbs filled with mischief and life he used to know. Nothing.

Thedous sniffed the air, face contorting as he let out a string of curses. Obviously displeased that they hadn't found what they were looking for. As Theodus turned on his heel, Charlie's eyes never once left the man. _One day I'll make you pay for what you've done, maybe not any day soon, but one day. That, that is a promise._

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed it!**

 **Please leave a review! :)**

 **Love,**

 **Indieblue xxx**


	19. Happy Birthday Luna

**Today has been a bit...my mind was a bit of a mess. Either way, I was determined to write a chapter for one of my stories today and my muse picked this one. Which I am extremely happy about.**

 **This chapter is a bit steamy, and I hope you like it. Things are kind of nice right now. We're going to be doing a bit of time skipping soon, and the scene in Malfoy Manor is coming up. Oh, that is going to be fun to write and hopefully just as enjoyable for all of you to read.**

 **This chapter is for M1sch1efManaged and Prattster666 who were lovely and tried to cheer me up today! I love you both xxxx I hope you enjoy it lovelies.**

 **My tumblr: indiebluecrown. tumblr. com**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's belong to me.**

* * *

 **Friday, 13th February, 1998**

 **Malfoy Manor**

 **Dungeons**

 **Luna Lovegood's Birthday**

"Do you know that Muggles think Friday the thirteenth is an unlucky day?" Luna asked Dean as she twirled a lock of her hair between her fingers.

"I did actually," Dean smiled warmly, then his face fell. "Wait, it's the thirteenth of February right? Luna, isn't _today_ your birthday?"

"It is," Luna answered absently, her head turned towards the Dungeon door when light footsteps bounced off of the walls coming in the direction of the stairs. Luna smiled slightly when Narcissa came into view of the wrought iron door that led out of the Dungeons. The light that trickled down from that direction was their only meagre light source during the day.

"Missus Malfoy," Luna greeted happily, getting up, and walking towards the woman who was opening the door and quietly closing it behind her once she entered. It was then that they noticed the plate in her hands.

"I'm so sorry that you have to spend your birthday in such a dreadful place, Draco sent word to me this morning and requested that I give you a message from all of them," Narcissa smiled sadly, reaching out to grasp one of Luna's hands in her own when the Ravenclaw reached her. "I thought that I would bring you a little treat. It was all I could sneak down here without it going unnoticed," Narcissa shook her head apologetically. "I did bring some gauze for Mister Ollivander's head though. I couldn't get any other medical supplies, I am sorry," Narcissa let go of Luna's hand to duck into her pocket, when she withdrew it a roll of gauze was grasped in her hand.

"Thank you," Luna gratefully took the gauze, and smiled sweetly at Narcissa. "Dean, I recall chocolate is your favourite, do you want some?" Luna asked softly, accepting the plate from Narcissa.

"They say to hold on a little longer, it won't be long now. Draco and the others are working on a plan to get you all out of here," Narcissa replayed the message her son had given her earlier. "Also, they wanted to wish you Happy Birthday."

"How is Draco coping?" Dean asked, breaking off a small piece of the cake and putting in his mouth, eyes closed as he savoured it.

"He didn't mention how he was doing, stubborn boy. Like his Father," Narcissa grumbled. "He merely sounded weary, the Full moon was two days ago after all."

"Missus Malfoy," Luna called after the fair haired woman as she started to walk away, her elaborate black lace robes swishing around her as she whirled around. They were off the shoulder, and cinched in at the waist.

"Yes, my dear?"

"This was really quite lovely of you," Luna smiled dreamily. "Tell Mister Malfoy that he shouldn't worry so much about his progress with wandless magic. He's doing wonderfully."

Narcissa frowned briefly before chuckling lowly, "I won't even ask how you know that." Her expression grew grave and she added in a serious tone, "don't worry dear, we'll find a way to get you out of here soon. I promise."

With that the Malfoy matriarch turned on her heel, swiftly leaving the Dungeons, she had been down here too long after all. It was increasingly risky since Voldemort was in the Manor. Granted he was on the far side, and had not emerged from the room he was occupying since he had entered it four days prior.

"Do you want a bit Mister Ollivander?" Luna asked kindly as she kneeled beside him. The former Ravenclaw was sitting up, propped against the Dungeon wall. His once white robes were now a dinghy colour, and the bottoms of his robes were torn.

"You should have it, my dear. It is your birthday after all," Ollivander turned his head away from Luna, coughing into his fist after he finished speaking.

"It'll help. One of my favourite professors told me that once," Luna said a bit more firmly, though she still had that airy, carefree look about her.

Ollivander, knowing he had lost, reluctantly raised his hand and broke off the smallest piece of the thick, rich dark chocolate cake that he could. With shaky fingers he raised it to his mouth, placing the cake in his mouth. Luna sat beside him as he licked the chocolate crumbs off of his fingers. Dean came to join them, however Griphook kept his distance. Luna would have offered him some as well if she didn't know that he hated sweet things.

The last of the light for the day fades and Luna holds her palm face up, focusing for a brief moment and whispering, " _Lumos Maxima_." A bright light gathered in a ball, nestled in her palm; it seemed to radiate happiness and their situation didn't seem so bleak.

That was how the remnants of Luna's birthday went, snuggled between Ollivander and Dean, speaking softly of dreams, memories and their hopes. Luna vanished the plate in case anyone came down here and wanted to know where they had gotten it. Neither Dean or Ollivander commented on her prowess at being able to handle her magic without a wand. It wasn't long before all three of them were asleep, the light gently fading when Luna lost consciousness.

* * *

 **Friday, 13th February, 1998**

 **Nott Cottage**

The occupants of Nott Cottage were all seated on the roof watching as the sun faded to black. The moon was waning in the sky, and clouds were lazily drifting in front of it.

Ginny was sitting between Theo's legs, twisted slightly as she kissed him softly; arms wrapped around his midsection, when they broke apart she laid her head in the crook between his shoulder and neck. Draco, Blaise and Gwen were sitting a few inches away, pouring their first round of drinks. Gwen had taken it upon herself to grab one of Blaise's many bottles of Firewhisky. Blaise had brought all five glasses up as he saw her walking towards the attic with the amber liquid. Ginny and Theo normally wouldn't be ones for public displays of affection, but today had been extremely emotionally draining.

* * *

It was Luna's birthday and she was spending it in the dungeons in Malfoy Manor. Ginny had broken down in girl's bathroom on the first floor. Of course she had been joined by Moaning Myrtle who merely stared at her, didn't mock her, she didn't utter a peep. Ginny would've found it more unnerving if she wasn't sitting on the floor against one of the cold walls, knees to her chest, hands in her short hair as tears flowed down her cheeks, vision blurred. It had suddenly all seemed so overwhelming, emotions that she couldn't quite identify surged up inside her, smothering her and casting a haze over her mind.

Everything was suddenly rendered pointless in her mind, none of it mattered. However this all played out, someone she cared about was going to die and she wasn't ready to come to terms with that. She was grateful that at least classes had ended before she had stumbled in here, throwing her book bag on the ground by the entrance before she sunk to the ground not too far from the sinks.

An hour later Theo found her lifelessly staring at the bathroom stalls, hands limp by her sides, one foot outstretched.

At that point she didn't care that they were in a bathroom, she didn't care if Moaning freaking Myrtle made any comments about them. She didn't care if someone walked in on them. The concept of being caught and exposed didn't even register in her mind. As soon as she saw his eyes, his concerned eyes she threw all logic and reason out of the window. She needed him.

There was a _plop_ sound that she vaguely heard in her ears, and it sounded like something falling into the a body of water. Ginny could only imagine that that meant Myrtle was leaving them to let them have some privacy.

Ginny's hands moved and she tugged him into her; not expecting it, he teetered slightly before righting himself, except he was a lot closer to her than he was previous. Close enough for their breath to mingle, close enough that his smoky woodsy smell filled her senses and anchored her.

Ginny's fingers moved to tangle her fingers in his dark curls, blue eyes meeting hers. In a frantic rush their lips collided, moving hurriedly over each other. Theo's arm moved to brace himself on the wall behind her, the other moving onto her hip, yanking on the blouse, un-tucking it from her shirt. Ginny made a small noise in the back of her throat, rolling her hips forward trying to tell him what she wanted. Moments later his fingers travelled under her shirt, laying flat against her back as he pulled her closer. Cool fingers slid further up her back until it met the clasp to her bra, she didn't even get a moment to think before he unclasped it. She removed her hands from his hair to unbutton her blouse buttons, her tie already loose from earlier.

Theo's hand shifted across her back to her ribs, Ginny took his bottom lip in her mouth and sucked lightly on it. Shirt now undone and she slipped her robes, it and her bra off s quickly as her fingers would let her.

Theo's large calloused hand moved over her breast, kneaded it. When he broke their kiss, she whimpered, but gasped moments later when he took her other breast in his mouth.

"Theo," Ginny moaned, arching into his touch.

Heat was building in her abdomen, and she could feel the wetness gathering in between her legs. Deciding that she needed him and she needed him now, she boldly caressed his bulge through his pants.

"Red," Theo stopped and looked up at her, "are you sure you wanted to do this here?"

"Teddy, stop fucking asking questions and start fucking me please. Like ten minutes ago," Ginny growled, unbuckling his belt. Theo's pupils dilated, eyes heavy with lust. He threw his robes off over his shoulders, not bothering to unbutton his shirt, ripping it off, buttons flying everywhere.

Theo pulled Ginny up with him as he kicked off his shoes, pushing his trousers and boxers down, when he stood up, Ginny had shimmied out of her skirt and panties, bare toes curling on the bathroom floor.

"You're fucking beautiful, Red," Theo murmured softly as he approached her again, hands grasping her face as he kissed her again. Smirking into the kiss when he felt her tremble against him.

"Teddy," Ginny commanded softly, and Theo wasted no time picking her up, hands on her arse and walking until her back was pressed against the cold, marble wall she had cried against earlier.

One of his hands moved down to her body and then between her legs, grinning when he noticed how wet she was for him already. His other holding her up, he slowly slid his cock into her. Ginny hissed and the look in her eyes was feral as she claimed his lips again.

Theo thrust his hips forward, and Ginny's back arched into him, fingers digging into his back. Wild thrusts, tongues battling, soft moans and whispered names. Theo thrust once, twice, thrice more and then his body shuddered as he poured inside her. Ginny whimpered when his hand moved to her clit, his cock still inside her; his fingers skilfully had her coming undone and soon she too followed him over the edge.

They stayed like that for what seemed like forever before Theo pulled himself out of her, carefully putting her down, supporting her wobbly legs.

"We should get home," Ginny murmured, looking up at him beneath dark red lashes.

"We should," Theo agreed, leaning down to kiss her forehead, gathering her up in his arms. Ginny smiled softly when she heard his heart beating madly in his chest. _Everything is going to be okay. It is._

They set about gathering their clothes, getting dressed quickly, Ginny grabbed her book bag, picking up Theo's the same time. Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she turned to face him, watching with hooded eyes as he zipped up his pants and tightened his belt buckle.

"You're insatiable," Theo teased, accepting his bag, hugging her into his side as he did.

"We going through the tunnel out of the Room of Requirement?" Ginny asked, tucking a few strands of hair behind her ears.

"It's a whole heck lot easier than having to sneak off the grounds and then apparate like we used to. The day Longbottom created that and talked to Aberforth was one of the best we've had all year," Theo sighed.

"Teddy," Ginny stopped him as he started to walk towards the exit.

"Yes, Red?"

"I think we should pick back up with my Legilimency training," she said after a few minutes, biting her lip.

Between Gwen being rescued, Draco being kept at the Manor and everything else that was going on, her training had gone by the wayside.

"Course, Red," Theo smiled tightly, she could tell he wasn't that happy about it, but he knew it was necessary. "C'mon, let's go home."

* * *

"I for one think that I need more than one drink," Blaise declared.

"This is the first one I've had since...well, you know," Draco muttered, throwing his drink back.

"I say we have a drink for Luna's birthday," Ginny suggested, wiggling out of Theo's arms and carefully shifting next to Gwen; shooting the other girl a smile when she took the two glasses full of amber liquid from her.

"Alright, then I'll do the toast," Blaise offered, holding out his glass for Gwen to fill his glass for a third time.

When their glasses were all full, they all looked expectantly at Blaise, who cleared his throat dramatically, and raised his glass slightly. "Lovegood might not be with us right now, but she's alive right now and that's all that matters. Knowing her she'll find something positive out of today. I admit the little bird, and here's to her birthday and her hopefully imminent rescue from Draco's shitty Dungeon." Draco scowled at that, but Blaise ignored him and continued on, "To Luna."

Echoes of, "to Luna," followed after his and they all threw back their drinks. The silence that reigned in the moments afterwards was comforting as they all drifted into their own trains of thought. Ginny pursed her lips, head moving to rest on Theo's shoulder as he wrapped his arms around hers. _Happy Birthday, Lu. I'll see you again soon. I promise._

* * *

 **I hope you all enjoyed it!**

 **Please leave a review, it means a lot. It would definitely make today a lot better.**

 **Love you guys,**

 **Indieblue xxxx**


	20. Easter Holidays

**Good night...well Good morning technically since it is like 2 AM.**

 **I told myself I was not going to sleep until I posted this chapter. So here we go. Not edited properly, I'll probably go through it tomorrow with a fine tooth comb, but I think I'm going to go to sleep now.**

 **I LOVE, LOVE all of you who left reviews since the last update. Oh you make my little heart sing in happiness. Thank you so, so much xxx**

 **I don't have a lot to say besides...I know I've been telling you about the Manor. Well I will tell you that for sure, for sure the next chapter is the first part of the Malfoy Manor chapters! Who's excited?!**

 **Also MAJOR thanks to M1sch1efManaged. Aka m1sc1efmanaged on tumblr and my lovelt friend and just aaaahhh I love you. This chapter is for you xxx**

 **I hope you all like this chapter, and please leave a review to let me know what you think! :)**

 **My tumblr: indiebluecrown. tumblr. com**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, only the story line and any OC's belong to me.**

* * *

 **Friday, 13th March, 1998**

 **Nott Cottage**

 **Full Moon**

"You shouldn't be out here right now," Draco snarled at Ginny as she knelt beside him; Draco was sitting on the ground leaning against one of the trees outside of the Nott Cottage wards.

"You took your Wolfsbane Potion that Snape taught you how to make, you won't hurt me," Ginny said, a defiant glint in her eyes, she pushed some of the hair out of his eyes, his forehead sweaty.

"It's laughable really. He taught me that potion on a whim, or so he said," Draco replied dryly.

"You won't hurt me, Dray," Ginny repeated, choosing not to respond to his previous statement.

"I brewed it myself...I don't know how well it's going to work," Draco pushed away her hand, grey eyes now flecked with amber and gold.

Ginny glanced upwards and saw that the Full Moon was still hidden behind the clouds and trees. "Besides Hermione you are the best brewer I know...well that's our age at least. I have confidence that it'll work splendidly."

"How did Teddy allow you to come out here?" Draco grunted in pain, even with the potion, the headaches were close to unbearable.

"Excuse me? _Allow_ me?" Ginny asked incredulously, "he isn't my keeper," Ginny snorted gracelessly.

"I love you, Red," Draco whispered softly, Ginny's eyes met his again, and with a small smile she took his hand in hers.

"I love you too, Dray," Ginny shot him a watery smile, leaning forward to kiss his cheek softly, lips barely brushing against his skin.

"You know besides you, I've only ever said that to two other women in my life," Draco laughed humourlessly, squeezing Ginny's hand unwittingly.

" _Two_ other women? Now I don't feel that special," Ginny teased, feigning offense.

"My Mother and..." Draco trailed off, wincing as another shot of pain raced up his spine. The Moon had almost completely risen in the sky, it was a matter of moments now.

"Hermione. The love of your life," Ginny smiled gently, tucking her hair behind her ear with her free hand.

"I'll be okay, Red. Go inside with Teddy," Draco pleaded, she could see the fear in his eyes now; he was truly afraid of hurting her.

"They always say we Gryffindors are too reckless for our own good," Ginny shrugged, "I'm staying."

Draco grunted in response, it was the only thing he could manage at the moment, the pallor of his skin almost see through as his veins stood out under his skin on his exposed flesh.

Ginny was stroking his hair now and humming quietly; Molly had always hummed when she was comforting her when she was little, so it was the first thing she thought of to do to help Draco. Draco grunted once more and she knew it was about to happen, the look in his eyes conveyed exactly what he wanted. 'Don't look at me transform.'

Ginny got up as quickly as she could without making any sudden movements and stepped back a few steps, turning her back on Draco, closing her eyes tightly as she heard his screaming began. There were snapping sounds, and Draco's relentless screams in agony sliced through her as his bones broke and his body changed. She wanted to be able to help, to do anything to stop his pain. Time seemed to stretch on forever, the screams faded into the night and she stiffened as she heard the heavy breathing behind her. _Draco won't hurt me, he took his potion, he'll be okay, it's going to be alright._ With small quick breaths, she faced Draco and in her friends' place was a almost pure white wolf, its' shiny coat the same colour as Draco's hair; the only difference between him and any other wolf was the tufted tail and shorter snout. The Wolf's eyes fascinated her; grey with flecks of gold and amber, looking almost human.

"Draco?" Ginny whispered a bit shakily, it began to hit her how dangerous this situation actually was. It would only take a split second for him to attack her, just as it would only take a split second to apparate into the boundary lines of Nott Cottage.

Draco cocked his head to the side and let out a soft whine, Ginny wasn't sure if that meant he was trying to tell her that he was in control of himself, or if that was the Wolf trying to make itself seem harmless before he made his attack.

"If you are in fact Draco then..." Ginny wracked her brain for something that would be clear cut and there would be no mistaking that it was in fact him. A small grin touched her face as she thought of how much Draco would hate this if he actually was himself. "Sit."

The Wolf barked at her, teeth pulled back, a snarl grumbling low in its' throat, its' eyes seemed to narrow in her direction; Ginny took another small step back. The Wolf somehow looked reluctant but sat nonetheless.

"Oh, who's a good dog?" Ginny grinned, walking forward to pet Draco's head, but he growled louder the closer she got. "Ah, you don't like that?"

Ginny walked around him, keeping her eyes on him the entire time, and went to sit down by the tree they had been previously. Draco trotted along after her, curling up next to her as she sat down; placing his head in her lap. This time he allowed her to pat his head, and that's how they fell asleep. His warm body radiated heat onto her, and the last thing she thought before she passed out was, _I told you that you could do it, Dray._

...

 **Monday, 23rd March, 1998**

 **Shell Cottage**

School had broken for Easter break a few days ago and that's when Ginny decided that there was no time like the present to introduce Theo to her family. Which is why upon their arrival home, after lugging their trunks into the house, Ginny immediately sent Sirius a Patronus to inform him of her decision. Theo didn't even try to argue since he knew that he would only be wasting his breath. Plus he liked it when Ginny was in a good mood.

The past month they had been working on Ginny's Legilimency skills and Theo was both immensely impressed and frightened of how well she was doing. Not even the Dark Lord could get past his shields, but he found himself straining to maintain them when she tried her hardest to break them down. Normally it was as easy as breathing since he had been practicing Occlumency since he was twelve.

Now they had just arrived on the beach just outside of Shell Cottage; Sirius had met them in the forest and brought them here-them being Ginny, Theo and Blaise. Gwen had smiled tightly but shook her head adamantly when they urged her to come as well. _"I'm not ready to see him yet, Ginny."_ Ginny had mainly been worried since they were staying at Shell Cottage for a few days and Draco was leaving this evening to go and visit his parents at Malfoy Manor for a week. It was what was expected of him, and he didn't want to draw any unnecessary attention to himself. Leaving Gwen all alone was what really concerned her though.

"Ginny!" A cheery voice called from just behind them, the redhead whipped her head around to see Charlie heading towards them with a large grin on his face.

Without a moment's hesitation Ginny dropped her bag onto the dry sand and sprinted towards her brother, jumping into his strong arms and laughing joyously as he spun her around; legs wrapped around him. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, little one," Charlie's deep laugh reverberated through her and her own grin grew even larger. Besides the twins, Charlie had always been her favourite brother. She loved her siblings equally, but she just felt like they understood her better. Bill was much older than her, and he was her protector, but she didn't connect with him as much as easily.

"You must be Gwen's little brother," Charlie said a bit less heartily this time, letting Ginny down; she saw that Theo had thrown her bag over his shoulder and had been watching them quietly. Blaise was glancing between Theo and Charlie expectantly. Ginny groaned when she saw Blaise's facial expression. _Oh no._

"See...not sure if Ginny gave Gwen shit for this yet or vice versa, but you Weasleys sure do like your Notts, don't you?" Blaise grinned broadly; ignoring the dark look Theo was shooting him, glaring daggers at his best mate.

"What? Might as well get it out of the way," Blaise rolled his eyes.

Charlie stood there, unsure what to say, a disbelieving smile on his face, Ginny sighed heavily, walking forward and dragging Blaise towards the Cottage. "I'm going to direct him in Mum's direction." _This ought to be fun to watch_ , Ginny smiled to herself.

Charlie and Theo stood in awkward silence for a few moments before Theo cleared his throat and spoke, "she wanted to see you, she just isn't ready yet." Theo regarded him with eyes so like his sister, and Charlie didn't know what to say to that, so he changed the subject.

"You love my sister," Charlie stated, when Theo's eyes met his again it just confirmed what he already knew. "Well then, you better get used to the chaos you're about to walk into." Charlie walked forward, clapping Theo on his shoulder. The two men climbed the sand hill, unbeknownst to them, Ginny was watching them through the windows; having just listened to Molly fret about how short her hair was, how she had had such long, gorgeous hair.

"You must be Blaise," Molly greeted happily, taking his cheeks in her hands.

"Yes, M'am," Blaise's eyes were wide, and his eyes darted in Ginny's direction, clearly looking for assistance.

"Mum, he's not used to physical affection," Ginny giggled when Molly moved forward to hug the much taller Slytherin and he automatically stiffened; Molly froze, a few more moments and Blaise would have been engulfed in Molly's embrace. Blaise looked over the Weasley Matriarch's head and mouthed, "Thank you," relief filling his features.

"Oh, do you want anything to eat then? You're looking a bit skinny," Molly clicked her tonguem her hands on her hips now. Thankfully for Blaise, Theo and Charlie entered the house to divert her attention elsewhere.

"Blimey! Your Mother is...something," Blaise whispered lowly, flabbergasted. He'd never really had anyone Mother him when he was growing up, or, well, ever. Which is why Molly Weasley baffled him, he'd never met someone who was so welcoming, especially for someone she didn't know. It kind of made him wish he had grown up in a house like theirs as opposed to the cold, lonely home that he had. A Mother who was rarely home, traipsing suitor after suitor through the house when she was. He felt raw shame when he recalled how the Weasleys and their destitution being the butt of many a joke at the Slytherin table.

"Nice to meet you, Missus Weasley," Theo smiled politely, taking Molly's fussing in stride; he didn't visibly stiffen as far as Ginny could see when Molly tugged him into a hug.

"So you're the boy my girl has fallen in love with," Molly hummed, quirking an eyebrow.

"...Yes."

"Mum, heavens, give the poor bloke a moment before you start interrogating him," Fred smirked as he entered the foyer from the kitchen, tossing a vibrant, red apple into the air as he moved.

"Let him at least put down his things," George added, a few steps behind his twin.

"Oh that's right! Boys! Take the bags and put them in their rooms, thank you for offering," Molly clapped her hands together delightedly. Fred and George's mouths open to protest but Molly shot them a sharp look, "Thank you, _Frederick, George_."

"Fine, Mum," Fred grumbled under his breath, bending over to pick up one of the cases.

"What was that?" Molly asked sharply.

"Nothing , Mother Dearest," George responded with a bright grin, picking up the other two. Following his twin who had taken the heaviest one and was already on his way to the stairs.

"Right. Who's hungry?" Molly asked in a jolly tone, hands on her hips.

...

 **Later that night** Ginny and Theo were laying in bed; Theo had snuck into her room from the room he was sharing with Blaise after everyone else had gone to sleep. Molly had been adamant that they stay separated. Theo had to elbow Blaise when he snorted, scowling at the smirk on the Italian's face.

Ginny was curled up, holding one of Theo's hands in hers, he was settled in behind her, peppering small kisses to her nape. Theo remembered a piece of muggle literature that he had come across randomly in the Hogwarts Library once, written by a man whose name was Robert Frost or something similar to that. Quietly, voice barely above a whisper he began to recite it to her from memory. He didn't know why he chose to do it, all he knew was that it felt right;

 _"Some say the world will end in fire,  
Some say in ice.  
From what I've tasted of desire  
I hold with those who favor fire.  
But if it had to perish twice,  
I think I know enough of hate  
To know that for destruction ice  
Is also great  
And would suffice."_

"Who wrote that?" Ginny asked curiously after a few moments.

"Who said I didn't?"

After the long silence that followed his question, Theo sighed, blowing gently on the back of Ginny's neck, feeling triumphant when she shivered in his arms even though they were snuggled under a thick patchwork quilt. "Robert Frost, muggle, pretty sure that's his name anyway," Theo answered.

"Do you think Gwen is okay all by herself?" Ginny queried, twisting to look at him out of the corner of her eyes, squeezing his hand.

"I have no idea. Blaise said he was going to go and check on her either tonight or bright and early in the morning," Theo groaned, he wanted to go check himself, but he also wanted to give her, her space. He didn't want her to feel like he was making her do anything, to let her make her own choices. She had been robbed of that ability for long enough.

"Good," Ginny responded, then changed the subject, "no one knows the side of you that recites poetry and says sweet nothings in my ear when we're cuddling in bed but me and that makes me happy. You're crude and harsh with everyone else, but you're all soft and gooey with me. My sweet, sweet Teddy."

"Bloody hell woman, soft and gooey?" Theo chuckled softly, his warm breath tickling the back of her ear; goosebumps raising across her skin. Smiling she turned back around, curving backwards into him, his warmth radiating over her.

"I love you, Teddy," Ginny hummed, feeling her eyes begin to droop heavily.

"I love you too, Red," Theo kissed her shoulder and shifted for a few moments, presumably to get comfortable, and it wasn't long before soft snores came from the wizard behind her.

...

 **Even Later that Night**

 **Nott Cottage**

 _Stupid. Fucking stupid._ Gwen sat in the living room of Nott Cottage, knees drawn to her chest; the stolen wand that Sirius had dropped off for her clasped in her hands. It still felt strange and foreign, but she couldn't be sure if that was from not using one in ten years or if it simply was the result of the wand being an unyielding one. She was alone, and it was vastly different when the others would come home in the evening after being away all day. This was terrifying. She was mentally kicking herself for not being brave enough to face Charlie. _What's the worst that can happen? He tells me he's moved on, found the love of his life and he's perfectly happy. Worse, he is still single, but he doesn't even remember me past that Slytherin girl he was friends with ten years ago-_

Gwen's thoughts were interrupted when the front door opened, and she snapped her head and wand in its' direction; only for her shoulders to sag in relief when she noticed that it was only Blaise.

"Why are you here?" Gwen asked, her voice sounded hollow, yet frightened at the same time.

"To help you face your demons."

"Pardon?" Gwen frowned deeply, peering up at the Italian who was staring at her intensely, his normal joking self gone.

"Ginny and Theo are worried about you, and I'm here to drag your ass to Shell Cottage. Better?"

"Wh-"

"You can't keep hiding from pretty boy forever." A lazy grin worked its' way onto Blaise's face, making him look more like his normal self. "Who is very fit might I add. Very, very fit. A very attractive man who is obviously pining away for you, and you refuse to go and end his suffering. Merlin woman! Shag him, kiss him, go for a bloody romantic walk on the beach. Every day there are no guarantees we are going to see another sunrise, he's right fucking there at your fingertips. Do you know what I would do to just be able to hold Daphne's hand right now. I can't go near her. I haven't been able to touch my woman in months. I miss hearing her talk normally, without all the airs, and proper Pureblood etiquette and manners. I want to hear her curse as she does Transfiguration homework. I miss touching her, I see her all the bleeding time, but I can never reach out and touch her," Blaise growled out the last bit, his visible frustration pouring out of him. "Which is why we're going to Shell Cottage, both of us."

Gwen swallowed thickly, she heard her voice speak as if from a third person perspective, standing on shaky legs, palms slick with sweat. "Ok."

...

 **Tuesday, 24th March, 1998**

 **Shell Cottage**

The occupants of Shell Cottage had no idea what was going on miles away from them. Had no idea what the Golden Trio was going to go through today. There was a Potterwatch segment scheduled today; which Fred and George were very excited about. Most of them were sleeping soundly, blissfully unaware of the events to come. A few of them however were already up and about, they had their own problems to solve.

Gwen couldn't sleep properly the night before, she blamed Blaise's snoring (even thought he didn't snore), telling herself that the possibility of seeing Charlie today had nothing to do with it. When she walked into the kitchen one of the Weasleys was already up. He looked familiar. _He's probably one of the twins, he looks similar to the picture I saw years ago...though he was still little then. The age does match up though._ The surprise on the ginger's face was splashed across his face; it was a pleasant sort of surprise, as if someone had given him a birthday gift a few days early. She couldn't help but notice the mangled remnants of his ear, quickly averting her eyes. She wouldn't want to make him uncomfortable. Gwen had stopped in the middle of the kitchen, unsure whether to get herself something, greet him, but he spoke first, choosing for her.

"Morning," George smirked, his eyes seeing something behind her, and his grin grew wider. Perplexed as to what would cause such a reaction, she turned around without thinking. She felt as if the breath had been knocked out of her.

Standing there, yawning, hair mussed and all over the place was Charlie. His eyes were half closed, and her eyes quickly roved over his body. _Damn. He is fit._ Charlie's pyjama bottoms were faded, obviously from years of use, and they were hanging dangerously low on his hips, exposing his hips bones as he was stretching, his plain white t-shirt that was delectably tight, shaping his large arm muscles just right, and she got a peek at his six pack. She felt her mouth go dry when his eyes open, and he froze mid-stretch. Eyes wide, mouth parting slightly, drawing her eyes there. Without even noticing, her tongue darted out of her mouth to wet her lips.

"Gwen?" Charlie croaked out, husky morning voice, hands falling by his sides.

"Morning," Gwen responded, as if she had just seen him yesterday, not over ten years ago. She felt like the world had shifted back in place when she looked in his eyes, the thing she had been missing all this time was right in front of her. She was still deathly afraid, but anything that happened in the next few moments was worth what she was feeling again.

Charlie didn't say anything else, he just walked towards her, bare feet making little to no noise as he walked across the stone floors. She didn't even get a chance to say, something, anything before she was swept into his arms. It was warm, he smelled of leather and spices she couldn't identify, all she knew was she wanted to taste him, he pulled back a millimetre, and before her brain could catch up to what she was doing; before the crippling fear could come back, before her wolf instincts insisted she run, run as fast and as far away as possible. She kissed him, tiptoed, and kissed him. Oh, did she kiss him. Hands grasping at his hair, it was longer than it used to be. It was wild and she loved it. She felt herself being lifted up and walked over to the kitchen counter and being placed on it, him moving between her parted thighs. Charlie's hands on the tops of her thighs.

The sound of someone clearing their throat was the only thing that stopped it. Gwen looked past Charlie with glazed eyes and saw disapproving Molly Weasley, hands on her hips, foot tapping against the floor, mouth twisted to the side. Gwen didn't even have the decency to blush. Strangely she didn't care; ten years ago she definitely would've, but now all she could think to say was, "Morning Missus Weasley, it's nice to meet you." George who had unwisely decided to take a swig of his coffee at that very moment, sprayed it in front of him, clutching his middle as he doubled over in laughter.

Molly's mouth dropped, Charlie grinned brightly, "I missed you, little one."

"Who are you calling _little_?" Gwen scowled, flicking his chest. It was effortless, like slipping on a glove, their camaraderie almost the same as it was before. They had both changed, but change wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

"You're really here," Charlie said reverently, hand reaching out and stroking her cheek softly.

"I'm really here," Gwen confirmed, cheek nuzzling his hand.

"Please don't leave me like that again," he pleaded, eyes swirling with pain, she hated that she was the reason for that look.

"I won't. I promise." They both knew that during War such a promise was nigh impossible, but hope was blossoming in both of them. They were together now and that was all that mattered.

* * *

 **Again, I love you,**

 **Indieblue xxx**


	21. Mistakes

**I know I just posted a chapter yesterday, and I'm waiting to post this until I know that most people who read this story would've read the last chapter.**

 **This chapter is really short, I know. It's a combination of canonical lines, most of which will be in italics, and the parts that I wrote. I mainly wanted to have a prelude to Malfoy Manor as to ease us into it. I promise the next chapter will be longer, and way more fun. This was kind of just the intro for it all. Of course some things are different, and I'm sorry if you don't like this chapter. I had originally questioned including it at all, but decided that it was necessary. There are a few differences, mainly being that Dean and Griphook are already at Malfoy Manor as opposed to with the Snatchers, as well as a few other things.**

 **After this I don't think I'm going to use many canon lines for the next few chapters which all the fun of Malfoy Manor will consist of, besides maybe the descriptions of the places etc.**

 **I really, really do hope that you like this. It is a lot different for me, since I've never tried to incorporate canon lines directly into any of my fics before.**

 **Either way, please let me know what you think and review. I love you all! xxx**

 **My tumblr: indiebluecrown. tumblr. com**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's belong to me.**

* * *

 **Tuesday, 24th March, 1998**

One minute everything had been fine. One minute things had actually been alright for once. Listening to Fred, George, Lupin and Lee on Potterwatch had brightened all of their spirits. Hermione couldn't remember the last time she had laughed out loud. Then Harry slipped up and said _his_ name.

 _'Come out of there with your hands up! came a rasping voice through the darkness. 'We know you're in there! You've got half a dozen wands pointing at you and we don't care who we curse!'_

Hermione froze, mind racing as her heart was pumping wildly in her chest, aware of every breath that she took. It couldn't end like this. They couldn't have come this far to die out here in the middle of the woods. Or get taken into the Ministry to get tried and then they would most certainly die. She would get charged with stealing magic, which was simply a barbaric and outrageous concept to begin with. Theodus Nott had been hunting the Weasleys and would use Ron to draw them out. Then _he_ would have direct access to Harry and kill him. All hope that their side had of possibly winning was rapidly dissipating.

There had to be something she could do, when she opened her eyes in the darkness since Ron had used the Deluminator already, it came to her. She had to act quickly.

 _Harry looked round at the other two, now mere outlines in the darkness. He saw Hermione point her wand, not towards the outside, but into his face; there was a bang, a burst of white light and he buckled in agony, unable to see. He could feel his face swelling rapidly under his hands as heavy footfalls surrounded him._

 _"Get up, vermin."_

Harry was dragged roughly off the ground and taken out of the tent first. Hermione struggled against the men that were attempting to do the same to Ron and her. It wasn't long however before they were all outside.

 _"Get-off-her!" Ron shouted. There was an unmistakeable sound of knuckles hitting flesh: Ron grunted in pain and Hermione screamed, "No! Leave him alone, leave him alone!"_

 _"Your boyfriend's going to have worse than that done to him if he's on my list," said the horrible, familiar rasping voice._ If my boyfriend was actually here right now I have no idea what would happen. Draco...Hermione thought sadly, thankful that they she had tucked her coin into her bra hurriedly after she had hexed Harry's face. She wouldn't put it past them to search her there if it came down to it. She felt bile at the back of her throat at the very thought. _"Delicious girl...what a treat...I do enjoy the softness of the skin..."_

Hermione's stomach turned over. She saw that Harry recognised who they were dealing with immediately by the way his entire body stiffened. _Fenrir Greyback, the werewolf who was permitted to wear Death Eater robes in return for his hired savagery._

 _"Search the tent!" said another voice._ Don't let them find anything. Shit. We're doomed.

The next few minutes were the most arduous moments of her life. Greyback questioned Harry as the men searched their tent; footsteps and crashes behind them, the men were pushing over chairs inside the tent.

 _"And what about you, ginger?"_

 _"Stan Shunpike," said Ron._

 _"Like 'ell you are." said the man called Scabior. "We know Stan Shunpike, 'e's put a bit of work our way."_

 _There was another thud._

 _"I'b Bardy," said Ron, and Harry could tell that his mouth was full of blood. "Bardy Weasley."_

 _"A Weasley?" rasped Greyback._ Hermione glanced out of the corner of her eye and real, raw fear filled her when she saw the slow grin grow on the Werewolf's face, the interest sparking in his eyes. "I know someone who would be very, very happy to see you. He has been more than a bit of a prat lately, so I might keep you all to myself..." Greyback said thoughtfully.

After that time seemed to stretch on endlessly as he finished asking questions, taunting and jeering at them. Questioned if they thought they would use the Dark Lord's name for a laugh or not. Hermione squeezed her eyes tightly shut, hoping that maybe, maybe there was a way out of this. Her hope was smashed to smithereens in the next few moments.

 _"You checked their names on the list yet, Scabior?" he roared._

 _"Yeah. There's no Vernon Dudley un 'ere, Greyback."_

 _"Interesting," said Greyback. "That's interesting."_

 _He crouched down beside Harry, who saw, through the infinitesimal gap left between his swollen eyelids, a face covered in matted gray hair and whiskers, with pointed brown teeth and sores in the corners of his mouth. Greyback smelled as he had done at the top of the tower were Dumbedore had died: of dirt, sweat and blood._

The hope returned full force when Harry told them he was a Slytherin, and then vanquished a good portion of the Snathcer's doubts by telling them where the Common Room was. He was biding their time, and it was working. Harry told them his Father was a Ministry offical, worked in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastropes, Scabior unknowingly aided them by saying he was pretty sure there actually was a Dudley in there; the Werewolf paused, wondering if he had actually attacked the son of a Ministry official. So close, they were so close, Greyback was talking about a trip to the Ministry to confirm Harry's story when one of the Snatchers came outside with the sword of Gryffindor. Then it only got worse when Scabior brought attention to Hermione's picture in the Prophet.

 _He heard the creak of Greyback's boots as he crouched down in front of Hermione._

 _"You know what, little girly? This picture looks a hell of a lot like you."_

 _"It isn't! It isn't me!"_

 _Hermione's terrified squeak was as good as a confession._ Hermione mentally berated herself as she realised her slip up. Shit. This was it. It was over. They were going to figure it out. Her heart sank as the next words came out of the Werewolf's mouth.

 _"...know to be travelling with Harry Potter," repeated Greyback quietly._

 _A stillness had settled over the scene. "Well, this changes things, doesn't it?" whispered Greyback. Nobody spoke: Harry sensed the gang of Snatchers watching, frozen, and felt Hermione's arm trembling against his own. Greyback got up and took a couple of steps to where Harry sat, crouching down again to stare closely at his misshapen features._

Hermione couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't see. Her mind was closing down on her, and she missed the next few moments of interaction between the Werewolf and Harry. Regaining some semblance of awareness as Greyback snatched the glasses that they had found just outside the tent and rammed them back onto Harry's face.

 _The Snatchers were closing in now, peering at him._

 _"It is!" rasped Greyback. "We've caught Potter!"_

"How 'bout we take 'im to the ministry?" Scabior asked, Greyback snarled at that, clearly against that plan.

 _"To hell with the Ministry." growled Greyback. "They'll take the credit, and we won't get a look in. I say we take him straight to You-Know-Who."_

The fog that had been clouded Hermione's mind cleared instantaneously. Malfoy Manor. You-Know-Who was operating out of Malfoy Manor. _NO! What month is it? March? Late March? Easter Break. I pray that Draco stayed at Nott Cottage and didn't actually go and see his parents. I hope he isn't there. This is beyond terrible. No. No. NO!_ Hermione thought frantically, she had no idea if Draco was at the Manor, but she prayed that he wasn't. Greyback seemed to be thinking similarly to her, because the next words he uttered revolved around Draco.

"I'll get to see the pup. I heard he was back at the Manor for the Easter Holidays. Well this is going to be fun," Greyback grinned toothily.

"I doubt the feeling is mutual," Scabior cackled in response.

Hermione didn't know exactly why, but the word 'pup' stood out sharply amongst everything else that he had said. It gave her a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, more than a little afraid of what the implications of that statement meant. _It can't be what I'm thinking of, no, don't worry yourself Hermione._

Not all of the Snatchers were confident with this course of action because not moments later one spoke, "are you sure-"

"Yes!" Greyback snapped, "we're taking this lot to Malfoy Manor."


	22. Malfoy Manor

**HEY!**

 **Dun, dun, dun...I feel like I've hyped this up way too much for what this is. I've revised and edited this chapter so much it's unreal. I re-wrote whole sections because I didn't like them enough.**

 **Either way, I hope you like it! Much like the last chapter, the canonical bits are in italics, up until the first mention of Bellatrix in this chapter, after that everything is mine.**

 **I actually don't have much else to say right now, I do know that I'm feeling inspired, so I may just post another chapter today. No promises, but hey. You never know ;)**

 **I'm so nervous to see all of your reactions!**

 **Please leave a review and let me know what you think :)**

 **My tumblr: indiebluecrown. tumblr. com**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, only the story line and any OC's belong to me.**

* * *

 **Tuesday, 24th March, 1998**

 **Malfoy Manor**

 _The prisoners lurched into one another as they landed in a country lane. Harry's eyes, still puffy, took a moment to acclimatise, then he saw a pair of wrought-iron gates at the foot of what looked like a long drive. He experienced the tiniest trickle of relief. The worst had not happened yet: Voldemort was not here. He was, Harry knew, for he was fighting to resist the vision, in some strange, fortress-like place, at the top of a tower. How long it would take Voldemort to get to this place, once he knew that Harry was here was another matter..._

 _One of the Snatchers strode to the gates and shook them._

 _"How do we get in? They're locked, Greyback. I can't - blimey!"_

 _He whipped his hands away in fright. The iron was contorting, twisting itself out of the abstract furls and coils into a frightening face, which spoke in a clanging, echoing voice._

 _"State your purpose!"_

 _"We've got Potter!" Greyback roared triumphantly. "We've captured Harry Potter!"_

 _The gates swung open._

 _"Come on!" said Greyback to his men, and the prisoners were shunted through the gates and up the drive, between high hedges that muffled their footsteps. Harry saw a ghostly white shape above him, and realised it was an albino peacock. He stumbled and was dragged onto his feet by Greyback; now he was staggering along sideways, tied back-to-back to_ Hermione and Ron _._

Hermione was deathly afraid, this was very, _very_ bad. She didn't even know if Lucius and Narcissa had truly started to change their Pureblood supremacist ways. For all she knew, they were walking into a place where they would find no help. Draco would be greatly outnumbered, and she hoped with all her might, that he stayed away. She feared he wouldn't be able to stop himself from trying to help them, which in the worst case scenario would end in his death. That she could not bear.

They were pushed into the gravel and light spilled over them.

" _What is this?" said a woman's cold voice._

 _"We're here to see He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!" rasped Greyback._

"Whatever for, Greyback?"

 _"We've caught Harry Potter!"_

 _Greyback seized Harry and dragged him around to face the light, forcing_ Hermione and Ron _to shuffle around too._

Hermione recognised Narcissa Malfoy instantly, she caught the woman's eye for but a brief moment when the Snatchers weren't paying attention, and Hermione saw fire. Fire and determination, a light smile touched her lips for a second, before her expression grew severe and she almost looked bored. She raised her eyebrows.

 _"Bring them in," she said._

 _Harry and the others were shoved and kicked up broad steps into a hallway lined with portraits._

 _"Follow me," said Narcissa, leading the way across the hall._

 _The Drawing room dazzled after the darkness outside; even with his eyes almost closed Harry could make out the wide proportions of the room. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, more portraits against the dark purple walls._

Hermione's eyes darted towards the door they had just come through, she heard footsteps echoing down the hall, but before she could see who it was. Movement from her left caught her attention.

"Who is this?" Bellatrix rose _from a chair in front of an ornate marble fireplace._

...

Draco's world was crumbling to the ground, what was left of it anyways.

 **Several Minutes Ago.**

 _"Draco!" Lucius hissed, rushing into his room, crossing the room in moments. Draco rubbed at his eyes, barely seeing his Father through the darkness his room was plunged in, the light from the hallway was peeking through the slightly ajar door._

 _"Dad?" Draco mumbled, rolling over to face his Father who looked panicked at best._

 _"They're here. Potter, Granger, Weasley, they're here Draco! Your Mother went to greet them and attempt to stall your Aunt," Lucius said in a hurried fashion, throwing Draco's sheets back._

 _Draco bolted up, "What?" His heart soared at the thought of seeing Hermione again, but then a cold splash of reality rushed down his spine. Potter, Hermione and Weasley being at the Manor was terrible. Draco felt his bond with Hermione flaring up inside him to confirm what his Father had said._

 _"Greyback brought them, that filthy mongrel," Lucius snarled, rifling through Draco's drawers, finding a small box. It was the box he kept his most treasured possessions. Lucius whispered something and span on his heel, eyes searching Draco's bedside table before he found what he was looking for. With nimble fingers he grabbed Draco's fake galleon and he placed it in the box; which had an undetectable expansion charm on it. Lucius reached inside his robes and took a small pouch and placed it inside the box as well._

 _Lucius looked at Draco with urgency now, Draco was hopping into a pair of black trousers, pulling a dark green shirt over his head, his dark mark on full display because of the short sleeves. "Take this, shrink it and put it somewhere safe on your person. If anyone gets out of here today I will ensure that you are one of them. I will not allow you to die for my foolish misguided ideals." Lucius pressed the box into Draco's palm, who was about to protest before his Father continued, "letters I exchanged with your Mother, all of our family pictures, everything truly valuable in this house is in that pouch. I must go now, grab anything else that you value and hurry. We don't have much time!" Lucius hissed out the last part and with a swish of his robes he strode out of Draco's room as quickly as he had come._

 _Lucius and Narcissa had been preparing their escape from the Manor for weeks, waiting until the Manor was relatively empty before they made their move. With the Dark Lord off gallivanting doing whatever it was that Dark Lords do, most of the Death Eaters beside Bellatrix and a couple stranglers who were patrolling the grounds; they had been preparing to act in the middle of the night. Harry and the others untimely and both fortunate and unfortunate arrival caused them to speed up their plans. Narcissa had the key to the Dungeons nestled neatly in her robes pocket._

 _Draco swallowed, his throat dry. He could hear Bellatrix's voice echoing throughout the house, due to his heightened hearing. Pocketing the box and he cast a semi-sticking charm to the fabric on the inside so that it wouldn't fall out._

 _It's not or never I suppose._

...

 **Present**

Draco entered the drawing room, and his blood ran cold. Greyback and his Snatchers were off to the side, watching hungrily at the scene before him. He grasped his wand in his hand just a little tighter, his knuckles turning white. Somehow his fear of the other Werewolf in the room paled in comparison to his fear at what could happen in the next few minutes. Slowly he entered the room, ears perking at the sound of Greyback's lips pulling back as he grinned upon seeing Draco had joined them.

He was faced with an impossible decision, whether to risk everything now and save Hermione, or watch as his deranged Aunt tortured her for information. Draco was biting the inside of his cheek, hard. The soft flesh broke and the tangy, metallic taste swirled around his mouth. Draco was trying not to look at Hermione laid across the ground, but his eyes couldn't help but be drawn there.

Wild curls spread across the floor above her head, his beautiful Hermione was pinned to the ground by Bellatrix, who was pressing her left knee into Hermione's abdomen.

He tried to look at everything else, she had lost weight, not too much to be unhealthy but still, she had dark circles under her eyes. Probably from the stress of being on the run and whatever task her, Potter and Weasley had embarked on for the past several months.

Potter and Weasley's angry protests as they were being dragged to the Dungeons is what snapped him out of his dazed state. When his eyes travelled upwards, he saw his parents standing behind where Bellatrix and Hermione were on the ground. Lucius is the one whose eyes were trying to tell him something however. With startling clarity Draco understood as his Mother gestured subtlety towards his Aunt.

Then everything seemed to slow down.

...

Draco was standing there, after months of not seeing him, he was finally in front of her and she couldn't say a word to him. Dare not utter even a whisper of how much she missed him. She could feel their bond humming loudly in her ears. It was the only thing that was keeping her tone steady as she answered Bellatrix; it gave her strength even though she was deathly afraid.

"We haven't been in your vault," Hermione repeated for a third time.

The Snatchers returned from locking Ron and Harry in the Dungeons and a scuffing sound as shoes walked towards her on the hardwood floors caused her eyes to dart away from the wild woman on top of her. _Wormtail_.

"Wormtail! Go watch the prisoners!" Bellatrix shrieked, Hermione flinched.

"Bella, perhaps this isn't the best way to get information out of the...Mudblood," Narcissa said gently, heels clicking across the floor as she took a couple steps towards her sister and Hermione.

"You're right, Cissy," Bellatrix licked the flat edge of the blade that she had previously had pressed to Hermione's neck.

"Bella-" Narcissa didn't get to finish whatever she said because Bellatrix stood up, flourishing her wand before yelling in a gleeful tone, " _Crucio!"_

Hermione's body was on fire, everything burned. Her veins felt as if they were going to explode, the back of her eyes felt like acid was being splashed across them. Flashes of her obliviating her parents, of Sirius almost dying, of being cursed and passing out in the Department of Mysteries. She felt like she was back in the forest in her third year, fear real and raw as Professor Lupin stalked towards them in his wolf form, teeth bared. Fourth year, her sinking feeling after Harry told them that Voldemort was back. The worst part was she could feel Draco, a small presence in her mind, urging her to fight the pain, not to give in. The skin felt like it was being peeled off of her bones, layer after layer of muscle and tissue being pulled back until she lay flayed on the ground.

Her left arm seemed to burn even more than anything else, letters were being carved into her flesh. She wondered who was screaming before she realised that it was her.

Then as quickly as it had started, it was over. The pain faded slowly, leaving the burning feeling in her veins.

Hermione opened her eyes to see Narcissa standing over her, Lucius was across the room duelling the Snatchers by himself, she felt arms pull her upwards, hugging her to them, and she frowned deeply. Seeing Bellatrix knocked out on the ground.

"Draco, give me your wand, I gave mine to your Father!" Hermione numbly heard Narcissa stay, she couldn't feel her body. Then she snapped back when she heard his voice. She didn't know it but he had been saying things for a few moments.

"I love you," Hermione heard and she angled her head to see him, worried grey eyes, sharp, rugged angles. He hadn't shaved in a few days so she could see the fair blonde hairs where he had a bit of scruff on his face.

Hermione couldn't form words yet, so she tightened her hold on him best she could and she kissed him. She didn't care that strangled cries were coming from Lucius' victims, she didn't care that Greyback had been the first to be stunned by Narcissa. Lucius however was out to kill, they had been eying his wife hungrily, and taunting him and his family for too long. He was enacting what he thought to be well deserved revenge.

It was rushed, and she smelled mint and something that was uniquely Draco, and she was home, her bond humming triumphantly.

When they broke their kiss, Hermione heard shouts from the Dungeons; Harry, Ron and Narcissa had returned.

"Dobby came, he took Luna, Dean, Ollivander and Griphook with him to Shell Cottage," Ron said in a rush, nodding at Draco, and putting his hand on Hermione's shoulder. "You alright?"

"Alright isn't the word I'd use, but can we please get out of here?" Hermione rasped out.

"Wormtail is dead," Harry said quietly, Hermione frowned, giving him a loaded look, "he strangled himself with the hand Voldemort gave him...he was repaying the life debt he owed me," Harry said sombrely. Hermione was filled with understanding, he may have betrayed his parents, but when it came down to it, Harry was tired of death, of people dying around him.

"Good riddance," Lucius snarled, and they noticed that he was still battling the last remaining Snatchers. Narcissa quickly joined him, and Hermione was gobsmacked at the grace and precision the Malfoys duelled with as they stunned the men.

"I would say we kill them so they won't be able to give evidence about us when the Dark Lord questions them, but that means we have to kill her as well," Lucius said in a matter-of-fact tone, throwing some of his long hair that had fallen out of place over his shoulder; gesturing to Bellatrix. Handing Narcissa back her wand, and she passed Draco his. Hermione had never seen the Malfoys so... _unkempt_ was the only word she could bring to mind, well not impeccably put together.

She glanced back at Harry, whose face had entirely returned to normal, and said, "the vault, something has to be in the vault."

"We don't have time to waste, we need to leave now!" Narcissa said in a demanding tone. "Before Bella wakes up-"

"Love-" Lucius tried to protest, but Narcissa fixed him with a deadly glare, to which he clamped his lips shut.

A loud crack interrupted them all, and Dobby stood in front of them, "Dobby has come back for Harry Potter!"

"Dobby! Brilliant! We need to go, everyone get ready," Harry instructed.

They were all ready and about to apparate out when Bellatrix roused, still somewhat out of it, she raised a hand to throw her dagger.

"NOW DOBBY!" Ron yelled. Dobby snapped his fingers, and they apparated away, a fuzzy image of Bellatrix smiling wildly the last thing they saw.

Behind them they left a cackling witch, her hands empty, head thrown back; from the other side of the room one of the Snatchers groaned and she grinned wickedly. She had to take her frustration out on someone after all.

* * *

 **Well. I mean, hope you enjoyed it!**

 **Love,**

 **Indieblue xxx**


	23. Full House

**It seems I'm always posting new chapters at 1 AM these days XD**

 **Either way, I hope you all like this chapter, things are calm...for now. Sort of.**

 **This chapter is for Anna to hopefully cheer her up, for Ash whenever she gets to this point, for chic. geek. fangirl. freak who has been here since practically the beginning and finally for Kitty Cat, love you girlies so, so much xxx**

 **I want to thank each and everyone of you who reads this story and for all of your lovely reviews, they mean the world to me. Thank you so, so much.**

 **Sidenote...FTT has 525 followers? OMG. I'm just so happy, so, so happy.**

 **My tumblr: indiebluecrown. tumblr. com**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's belong to me.**

* * *

 **Wednesday, 25th March, 1998**

 **Shell Cottage**

Ginny looked outside, for some reason she hadn't been able to sleep that well last night, as if something was wrong, very wrong.

The sun was rising, casting a plethora of colours onto the waves and shore, in the distance she swore she saw people. _That wasn't possible, no one can get inside the wards._

Ginny felt a presence beside her, and glanced to her right, standing in the kitchen doorway was Gwen, high on alert, eyes moving around wildly as she assessed the situation.

"I can hear something, inside the wards from outside," Gwen said in a tiny voice.

"That's impossible," Ginny's stomach dropped out from under her, blood running cold. "Go wake everyone up, we need to be ready," Ginny told the older girl, who nodded before hurrying off.

Ginny pulled her wand out of her trouser pocket, throwing her blanket that she had over her shoulders over the back of one of the chairs at the kitchen table. She wouldn't want it to get in the way in case things got messy.

The early morning air was brisk, freezing cold as the wind came off the water. Ginny gritted her teeth, bare feet moving silently through the cold sand.

The group obviously was too preoccupied to notice her approach them, all surrounding something, one of their heads turned sharply in her direction and she froze; taking a sharp intake of breath she saw what lay in the centre of the gathered group.

Ginny didn't even pause when she could clearly make out their faces before she flung herself at Luna, hugging the petite Ravenclaw tightly to her.

"Oh, hello Ginny. I think we may need a bit of help with Mister Malfoy's leg," Luna said dreamily, patting Ginny's back.

Lucius was sprawled across the sand, a dagger deeply sunk into his leg, his hands were grasping the area around the wound, letting out a string of curses. Narcissa was kneeling beside him, looking a combination of irritated and concerned.

"I told you we should have killed her," Lucius groaned, head falling back into the sand, his pale hair forming a halo around his head; his forehead was slick with sweat, and Ginny could see that the fabric around the wound was soaked with blood.

"Pleasantries can wait until after we get you inside, Mister Malfoy. Before you bleed out here in the sand," Ginny said, frowning when she saw Harry staring dumbfounded at the man in front of him.

"Harry!" Ginny called out to the wizard; who was looking a little worse for the wear, his head slowly angled upwards until he saw her, shaking his head slightly and pulling himself out of whatever daze he was in.

"You, and Dean should go and let Mum know," when none of the boys moved, Ginny rolled her eyes, "Now!"

She spotted Draco, hovering, his arms wrapped around Hermione and she smiled to herself, "Dray, help me levitate your Father into house, I don't want to risk jostling him too much."

Draco nodded grimly, letting go of Hermione and grabbing his wand. Dobby appeared just then and with wide eyes spoke up, "Dobby can apparate Mister Lucius into the house if Miss Ginny wants?"

Ginny blinked quietly for a few moments before grinning gratefully. "Oh, that's brilliant Dobby. If you would be so kind." Ginny barely got to finish her sentence when Dobby placed his hand on Lucius' shoulder and with a small pop they were both gone. Leaving a pool of blood that had sunk into and stained the sand behind them.

"Well, good morning," Ron shook his head in disbelief, rumpling his hair.

"C'mon, Mum'll probably have a bit of a shock if she comes downstairs and the first thing she sees is a bleeding Lucius Malfoy on her front doorstep," Ginny said, linking arms with Hermione and Luna, leaving Draco to help Narcissa up, and for Ron to shoulder most of Ollivanders weight, Griphook trailing behind them all; looking highly suspicious.

...

 **Later that day** after all of the excitement that had ensued before the sun had risen, Molly, Narcissa, Ron, Draco, Hermione and Ginny were now seated in the kitchen that was brimming with awkward silence. Lucius was upstairs in one of the bedrooms, resting as Molly had insisted. Bill had grumbled briefly about how there wasn't enough room for everyone here, which resulted in Molly boxing his ears and spinning on her heel to smile warmly at her guests.

There had been a brief family meeting earlier in which they discussed living arrangements, and Ginny brought it back to the forefront of her mind. Contemplating if they should go back to Nott Cottage sooner than they had originally planned.

...

 _"Well some of us should go to your Aunt Muriel's," Molly said after a few moments._

 _"Is that really necessary?" George winced._

 _"Shell Cottage isn't that big you know, Georgie," Bill grimaced. Ginny smirked at that, everyone had been taking refuge at Shell Cottage since Bill and Fleur's wedding. Which meant that the Newlyweds hadn't been able to properly live on their own since then._

 _"Well for now, until we can make other arrangements," Arthur began, his expression indicating that he was not pleased by whatever he was about to say. "The Malfoys...will stay here. Fred, George, Percy will come with your Mother and I to your Aunt's. Harry, Hermione and Ron can stay here and Ginny, Blaise and Theo can return to Nott Cottage whenever."_

 _"Dad, what about Ollivander, Griphook, Luna and Dean?" Ron inquired._

 _"Well Mister Thomas has expressed that he wishes to go back to Hogwarts. We have someone who can sneak persons into Hogwarts, it's risky, but he says he wants to do it," Molly smoothed down the front of her apron, wringing her hands together moments later._

 _"Ollivander is not well," Molly added, mouth set in a grim line. Griphook will most likely stay here for now, and I'm not entirely sure what Luna is going to do."_

 _"Wait, you haven't said anything about us?" Charlie stated, wrapping his arms around Gwen's shoulders from behind, the dark haired girl grasped onto his large forearms, a tiny frown on her face._

 _"I figured that you would either go to Nott Cottage with Gwen or stay here," Arthur shrugged. "It's really up to you."_

 _"For now though we'll try to make everyone as comfortable as possible," Molly said in a jovial tone, pinching George's cheek as she passed him on her way out of the room._

...

"Tea anyone?" Molly asked politely as she pulled a teapot from one of the cupboards.

"Yes...please," Narcissa smiled tightly, tucking the wisps of hair that had come out of her elaborate bun behind her ears, when they simply wouldn't settle, she scowled before fiddling with the bun and taking it down, her hair easily falling down her back in waves, the fine braids still intact however and spread throughout her hair.

"Not to be blunt or anything, but this is weird," Ron stated, avoiding Hermione's hand when she moved to whack his shoulder.

"I can't believe I'm saying this," Draco said with a dry laugh, "but I agree with Weasley."

"Which one?" Fred asked walking into the kitchen, George sliding in after him.

"You're in a house filled with us, you can't call us all Weasley," George added.

"Boys behave," Molly warned, pointing the spoon that she had grabbed for the sugar at them.

"Yes Mother," the twins bowed simultaneously and then winked at Ginny before exiting the kitchen just as quickly as they had come.

"When are you going to go to Aunt Muriel's?" Ginny piped up, directing the question at her Mother.

"Over the next few days, I expect," Molly pursed her lips, pouring the water that had just finished boiling moments before into several teacups; the water quickly changing colour as the teabags seeped.

Ginny caught Hermione subtlety lean to her left until she was snuggled into Draco's side, the blonde instinctively wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling his witch closer. Ginny knew that Draco was probably thinking about how to tell Hermione about his condition, especially when she saw him smile gently down at the brunette, but it didn't quite reach his eyes, eyes filled with trepidation.

"If no one minds, I have something to discuss with Hermione, so if you'll excuse us," Draco's smile waned as he stood up. Hermione's brow furrowed together, but she followed him out of the room nonetheless. Ginny sent waves of positivity to her friend, hoping that it would help him be brave.

...

Draco took in a haggard breath as he glanced at Hermione who was sitting on the lip of one of the beds in the room that Blaise and Theo were sharing whilst they were here; both boys had squeezed his shoulder comfortingly as they left, murmuring words of encouragement. Blaise had winked at Hermione, the brunette looked like she wanted to talk to him, but Draco's nervous energy was rippling through their bond.

"I...I don't really know where to begin," Draco said, pacing back and forth, hands moving to run backwards through his hair, causing it to stick up at odd angles.

"The beginning?" Hermione suggested, hands folded in her lap, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.

Draco looked at her then, striding across the room and kneeling in front of her, the window was open, letting the salt air into the house. Somehow it calmed him a little, he could hear everyone downstairs bustling about, the creak of the bottom stair as someone began to come upstairs. Swallowing thickly, his grey eyes finally moved to meet her brown ones.

"I'm...a monster," Draco said through clenched teeth, averting his eyes from hers. Hermione made a frustrated sound.

"Draco, you are not a monster. Are you talking about killing people? We've all had to...so things that we didn't want to," Hermione's voice dropped audibly at the end.

"That's not it...Greyback. Greyback..." Draco trailed off, still refusing to look at her, she took his hands in hers, squeezing them tightly. Understanding dawning in mere moments.

"Draco, I love you. You are not a monster," Hermione said heatedly, letting go of one of his hands, grasping his chin and angling his face in her direction. "Draco, look at me, please," Hermione pleaded as he was currently looking anywhere but at her.

"I am a monster," Draco insisted.

"Draco Malfoy I love you, just because you're a Werewolf now doesn't change anything," Hermione whispered. Draco's eyes darted to hers now, fear and doubt filling his grey orbs.

"Doesn't it? I wasn't worth it before, I'm most certainly not worth it now," Draco argued.

"You are worth it. You are more than worth it," Hermione said, her voice cracking midway through, but she pushed on. Hermione didn't say anything else after that, she had to show him, prove that she meant it.

Hermione grasped his face in her hands, leaning down and brushing her lips against his lightly. She sighed softly when his hands automatically moved to hold her hips. Draco partially stood up enough for Hermione to move backwards on the bed and for him to crawl onto it with her. With a light growl, he pulled her into his lap, left hand travelling under her shirt, right hand moving to grasp her nape.

Draco nipped at her bottom lip, tongue swiping across it asking for entrance, which she readily gave moments later, her fingers moving to tangle themselves in his tresses. Hermione's smell was surrounding him, hugging him and filling his senses; vanilla, ink and parchment.

"Hermione," Draco whispered reverently, "I love you."

Hermione smiled into their kiss, the months that they had been apart melting away with every caress, and every gentle kiss. Months of uncertainty and fear, not knowing if they would see the other again, finally reunited.

Hermione pulled away, kissing him chastely once more before hugging herself to him, looking her dead in the eye, "I love you, I'm not going anywhere and I repeat, you being a Werewolf doesn't mean you're a monster." Hermione scrunched up her nose then, unable to stop herself as a yawn escaped her.

"When was the last time you got any real sleep?" Draco quirked an eyebrow, Hermione pursed her lips in thought.

"Not sure to be honest," Hermione frowned, replying honestly.

"Alright, then how about you and I get some sleep?" Draco smiled lightly.

Draco shifted so they were both sideways on the bed, legs tangled together, he had a hand on Hermione's cheek, the pad of his thumb stroking it loveingly.

"Draco?" Hermione murmured.

"Yes, love?"

"Bellatrix...I..." Hermione stopped, taking in large gulps of air as she began to sob, Draco's heart squeezed uncomfortably and he pulled her into his chest. He hugged her as her nails dug into his back, he hugged her as she sobbed uncontrollably, he hugged her until they both fell asleep out of pure exhaustion. The sun setting, casting shadows across both of them. Blaise and Theo slept in the same bed that night.

...

 **Thursday, 9th April, 1998**

Draco didn't bother knocking, he was too exhausted; it certainly didn't help that the Full Moon was in two days. He simply opened the door and walked straight in, kicking it shut with his heel.

Draco rubbed at his eyes tiredly, ruffling his hair with his other hand. It would be so much easier if there was a rule book now. When he was a spy it was simple. Well it was complex, but at least he knew what he was supposed to do. Going on runs with Charlie and the twins over the last couple weeks, and trying to gather intel with Remus, Sirius, Kingsley and Tonks was terrifying.

Any protection he had left had been stripped from him the moment they left Malfoy Manor - no, the moment he had unthinkingly knocked Bellatrix out.

The Malfoys' wanted posters were strewn about Diagon Alley right beside the Golden Trio's.

They lost track of the nights where Lucius and Draco had kicked and screamed, resisting the dark mark as it scorched their skin and poisoned their veins. It wasn't only at night, just yesterday whilst out on a supply run with George and Fred it had felt like his hand was on fire. Voldemort was livid, and he was letting them know it. He had quickly cast a silencing charm on himself, in throes of agony on the ground, grasping at his arm whilst George stayed with him and Fred rushed to grab their supplies. The voices that had neared them around the corner were far too close for comfort. They narrowly avoided getting caught by Theodus Nott.

Theodus was another problem to deal with, another thorn in his side. _Fucking man somehow always knows where we're going to be when we leave the Cottage. How? The bloody Wanker is everywhere, his hatred of the Weasleys is truly astounding._

Draco had been so occupied by his thoughts that he didn't notice Hermione watching him, she had just stepped out of the bathroom, a towel was secured across her bust, her hair flowing down her back, still damp.

"Draco?" Hermione whispered, padding across the room, looking up at him.

Draco blinked in surprise, a lazy grin growing across his face when he saw her properly. He was exhausted, but he still appreciate how attractive his girlfriend was.

"Granger," Draco responded, placing his hands gently on her upper arms before claiming her lips.

"Are you alright?" Hermione frowned, when they broke their kiss.

"Tired," Draco admitted, "it sure is quiet since Red, Teddy, Blaise, Gwen and Charlie went back to our cottage," he mumbled, lips moving to press lightly across her cheek.

"Considering how many people are currently still living here, I'm not sure how you worked that out, but okay," Hermione teased.

"You know what I mean," Draco sneered playfully.

"I'm going to try and figure out with Harry what other horcruxes we need to find, besides the one in Bellatrix's vault," Hermione informed him, moving to the other side of the room, opening their chest of drawers, which creaked in protest, rifling through it to find something to wear.

"Do you feel weird knowing that your parents are staying with Remus, Tonks and Sirius at their safe house?" Hermione queried, tilting her head to the side to look at him.

"No, not really. I trust Sirius, and he trusts Lupin and he trusts Tonks. Plus it gives Mother a chance to try and make amends with Aunt Andromeda," Draco shrugged cavalierly.

"It doesn't feel like we're at War right now," Hermione said abruptly, "I felt it those months on the run in a tent, but being here the past two weeks has been bizarre, weird. As if any moment it'll all be taken away from us." Hermione confessed, tossing the undergarments she had picked onto the bed in a huff.

"Hermione," Draco said weakly, in her frustration, her towel had come loose and was now in a pile on the ground at her feet.

"Draco," Hermione said.

Draco turned his back, hand on his forehead, "how about you get dressed and-" he felt hands wrap around his abdomen and she was just so soft, pressed against his back and he swallowed thickly. Memories of seeing a flushed Hermione under him came to mind and he quickly pushed them out his mind.

"Draco," Hermione said gently, Draco closed his eyes briefly before turning in her arms.

"Hermione, I don't know if I can control myself so close to the Full Moon," Draco cradled her face in his hands, "I don't want to hurt you," Draco frowned deeply.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "you are not going to hurt me, Draco."

"Hermione-" Draco started, but Hermione placed her right index finger on his lips, swiftly silencing him.

"I trust you," Hermione said from under thick lashes, lips parted, cheeks tinged pink.

Draco's response was a low growl in the back of his throat as he picked her up, one hand on the small of her back, the other cupping her arse as he walked towards her bed. Hermione smiled happily as he hungrily claimed her lips. Hermione was a determined witch that always got what she wanted.

* * *

 **Next chapter if the muse agrees we'll be back at Hogwarts even if it's just briefly to see what's going on regarding that front.**

 **Please leave a review and let me know what you think :)**

 **Love you,**

 **Indieblue xxx**


	24. Secrets

**The muse wouldn't leave me alone. My tigress (that's what my muse is as far as ik, a white tigress) insisted we do this, any theories or ideas would be cool to hear.**

 **I'm so glad everyone seems to be liking the last chapter, I know this one is shorter, but quite a few important things happen.**

 **After this we're definitely going back to Hogwarts. Originally I had planned for this to follow the timeline in canon and for the BoH to be on the 2nd May, but based on how my muse is working, it may be longer than that. (The War I mean, I have a whole section afterwards to wrap up the story, do not fear, we shall get closure my lovelies).**

 **Please leave a review and let me know what you think :)**

 **My tumblr: indiebluecrown. tumblr. com (Which I've recently learned I can't receive asks since it is my secondary blog...which sucks, fix that won't ya tumbles).**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's belong to me.**

* * *

 **Flashback**

 **Thursday, April 2nd, 1998**

"There was something else you wanted to tell us that day, wasn't there?" Draco asked from behind the Boy Who Lived. They were on the porch staring out at the sea, it was a dark, gloomy day, reflecting Harry's feelings. The wind was picking up, whistling in their ears, the waves were roaring and crashing violently onto the shore.

"Yes." Harry said in a hushed tone, as if he feared someone else would hear them.

"It has something to do with me, doesn't it?" Draco guessed astutely, "you looked at me guiltily afterwards."

"That night, when you were with Sirius in the Forest of Dean…" Harry started, hand on the porch railing, turning to face Draco. "I saw you, I-"

"Called out to me? I know, I saw you as I was apparating away," Draco said dryly, lips pursed. "That's not it though, is it?"

Harry swallowed thickly, "I have a theory. About what happened that night. In the Astronomy Tower."

Draco flinched visibly, but didn't say a word.

"Snape is the one who killed Dumbledore, but you're the one who disarmed him...we think Dumbledore had the Elder wand. You-Know-Who...I think he has it now." Harry paused. Draco quirked an eyebrow.

"Something tells me you aren't fucking around with me and you believe that that fairy tale is true."

"It is...which means, if I'm right, you're the owner of the Elder wand," Harry finished, looking Draco square in the eye.

"So you're trying to think about where to go from here? Plus if the Elder wand obeys me but his Darkness puts two and two together, he will most likely go after Snape?"

Harry's eyes widened at that, it seemed he hadn't thought that far ahead. Draco rolled his eyes, he could feel his wand in his pocket, somehow it felt like it was heating up.

"Disarm me," Draco commanded.

"What?" Harry's eyes widened a fraction further.

"The whole having a hero complex is your thing, so how about you disarm me so that you, the _Boy Who Lived,_ can defeat You-Know-Who," Draco explained calmly.

"Are you sure about this? It is only a theory," Harry frowned.

"Bloody hell, Potter. Disarm me already!" Draco exclaimed, drawing his wand swiftly out of his pocket and aiming it at Harry. Harry took a deep breath, "this may not actually do anything."

"You have to mean it, Potter," Draco growled, throwing a stinging hex at Harry's arm. The boy let out a surprised yelp, before drawing his wand on Draco.

"Was that necessary?" Harry snarled, " _Expelliarmus!_ " Draco's wand was ripped out of his grasp and sailed through the air, landing neatly in Harry's hand.

"Good, now give me back my wand," Draco said reticently, something felt different, off, strange. Harry was staring at Draco's hawthorn wand in his hand, sluggishly he stepped forward, reluctantly putting it back in Draco's hand. What had felt right, _familiar,_ moments ago now felt foreign and strange.

"Draco-"

"If your crazy theory is right then that means that the Elder wand is going to belong to you and not me. Good." Draco nodded, jaw clenched as he turned on his heel and walked away, leaving the boy with the lightning scar on the porch, stormy clouds looming behind him and the ocean air blowing through his hair.

…

 **Sunday, April 5th, 1998**

 **Nott Cottage**

Ginny watched Theo slumbering gently beside her, the sheets covering his nakedness. Tomorrow they would be returning to Hogwarts, Ginny couldn't help but recall the conversation they had all had several days ago. Harry, Hermione and Ron sat Theo, Blaise, Draco, Luna and herself down and told them what they had been up to the past few months; ensuring to throw up silencing wards even though they trusted everyone in Shell Cottage.

…

" _For the past few months we've been on the hunt for horcruxes. You-Know-Who's to be specific," Hermione explained. She paused to let that piece of information sink in, even though from their blank expressions it was clear none of the other knew what she was talking about. "Basically a horcrux is created by killing another, we aren't sure exactly how it works, but basically half of your soul is ripped in half and placed inside an object. All of You-Know-Who's items seem to be something of significant importance to him."_

" _You said horcruxes...how many are there exactly?" Theo hissed._

 _"So far there's the diary, the ring, the locket, and we think another is in Bellatrix's vault. After that we're not entirely sure," Hermione admitted. "Though we got information from one of Slughorn's memories," Hermione saw Blaise's deep frown and added, "that's another story for another time." Hermione continued from where she left off, "and Riddle asked if it would be possible to split his soul into seven."_

" _Seven?" Ginny choked out, eyes wide. Up until now she and Luna had been silent, Draco was still quiet, Hermione was sitting in his lap, and his arms were wrapped loosely around her waist._

 _"Possibly yes," Harry responded tightly._

" _Fuck." Theo said what they were all thinking. "You said something about Bellatrix's vault?" Theo rubbed his brow, eyes closed. Ginny reached over and grasped his hand, not noticing the way Harry frowned slightly and followed the movement with his eyes. A silvery blue pair of eyes were trailed on the raven haired boy, studying him intently._

" _She seemed terrified that we may have been in there, our guess is that He Who Must Not Be Named gave her one of them, probably not telling her what it was," Ron said, leaning back in his chair in between Harry and Draco, folding his arms across his chest, glancing at Hermione as she shifted in Draco's lap._

" _What do you want us to do?" Blaise asked seriously._

" _I think another one may be at Hogwarts, I'm not sure though," Harry rubbed his temple, bracing his elbows on his knees, sighing deeply._

 _Ginny however had an idea. It was rash, reckless and foolhardy, but that didn't change the fact that it was becoming more appealing by the second. Ginny glanced around the room Blaise and Theo shared, Blaise was standing against the cupboard by the door, arms crossed over his chest, a pensive look on his face._

" _I need a drink, anyone wants to join me?" Blaise smiled thinly._

" _I think we all need a drink," Theo barked out a harsh laugh._

" _Is there anything else you want us to know, Potter?" Draco drawled. Harry hesitated only for the briefest of moments before saying, "No." Ginny caught the look he shared with Hermione before his expression became impassive again. There was something else, something that he didn't want to talk about. What it was she didn't know, but it probably wasn't good._

…

Ginny knew that Theo would tell her she was stark raving mad, then he would tell the Order members to keep her under constant watch until she came to her senses if she told him what she wanted to do. Ginny swung her legs out of bed, hands clenching the sheets under her as she steeled her resolve. If she could help then she was going to do this, she had to do this. Ginny stood up and she had made up her mind, no one, not even Theo was going to change her mind. It was time to go see Harry.

...

Ginny arrived at Shell Cottage, but she didn't have to go far to find Harry. The raven haired boy was sitting in a pair of thin red plaid pyjama bottoms, a grey t-shirt and an open black hoodie by the sea, knees bent, arms resting across them.

"Hey," Ginny smiled lightly, sitting down next to her old crush. Harry merely appraised her, smiling back.

"Hey Ginny," Harry responded, bumping her shoulder gently with his own.

"The Ocean is so pretty in the early hours of the morning," Ginny commented. The sun was still rising, everything still that bluish grey colour.

"It's peaceful here...you can almost forget," Harry said, Ginny smiled, nostalgia filling her as she recalled a similar conversation with Draco months ago. At the beginning of everything.

"Harry?" Ginny angled her head in his direction, laying her head across her arms that were wrapped around her knees.

"Yes, Gin?"

"Do you ever wonder about how things could be different? How everyone expected us to be together after all this is done?"

"I don't think anyone expected that," Harry let out a sharp laugh.

"Really? I'm almost positive my Mother wanted us to get married one day," Ginny smiled wryly, poking his arm.

"Fair enough, to be honest...I may have been one of those people," Harry admitted, eyes lowered as his eyes bore a hole in his own arm.

"I know," Ginny murmured. She sat up, shifting so that her head was on her shoulder, arm hooked with his right one. "I do love you, Harry Potter."

"Just not the way you love him," Harry whispered, Ginny could feel his breath on the top of her forehead.

Ginny felt the tears brimming in her eyes, in another life, maybe they could have been together, but in this one they were just not meant to be. Ginny squeezed Harry's arm tighter, tears streaking down her face.

"It's okay, Gin, really," Harry insisted, pulling away from Ginny, and she felt a sharp stab of pain in her heart before he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into him. The rough pad of his thumb rubbing up and down her arm, shifting the thin fabric of her black cardigan.

"Harry...I have an idea to help with the remaining horcruxes. It's mental and you may think I'm insane...but I think we should try," Ginny said in a firm tone, looking Harry directly in the eye, seeing all the details in his bright green eyes from so close up, his long, dark lashes.

"Why do I have a feeling that I'm not going to like this?" Harry asked her, tucking some of her bangs behind her right ear.

"I don't think anyone is," Ginny responded honestly. _Especially not Theo,_ Ginny thought sadly.

* * *

 **In which we all now have some semblance of closure...the characters I mean, we, we are far from done XD**

 **Love you all,**

 **Indieblue xxx**


	25. How Did We End Up Here?

**Hello, hello!**

 **Right a bit of a warning. The next chapter (the one after this one...so you can't say I didn't give you ample warning) is going to be slightly unsavoury. We're heading back into the realm of darker things that happen in this fic, so if that kind of thing bothers you etc, please be warned that that is where we are going. Seriously, I want you all to take care of yourselves.**

 **I also wanted to add that you all are probably not going to like me for the next couple of chapters, I'm just letting you know in advance. I'm sorry. Well I mean, I'm a little sorry, it was fun to write, so I'm sorry about certain parts, but I'm also proud of what I have done. I am so, very, very torn.**

 **I know the last chapter was a bit filler-ish, but it did serve a purpose, and it did have meaning. It was basically laying the groundwork for where we're going now. Again, I am sorry.**

 **Thank you to everyone who reads, follows and likes this story, seriously, thank you. I love all of your lovely reviews, and hopefully you will be merciful on me even though I know that you probably won't like me very much by the end of this chapter.**

 **My tumblr: indiebluecrown. tumblr. com**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's belong to me.**

 ***Hides behind hands, anxiously awaiting to see your reactions***

* * *

 **Monday, April 6th, 1998**

Theo knew that Ginny was keeping something from him. When Theo woke up yesterday morning the sheets beside him were ice cold; instinctively he ran his fingers across them as he tried to think where she could have gone.

Blaise was still asleep in the attic, Gwen and Charlie were still fast asleep in their room. Theo wasn't sure if he was uncomfortable about Gwen shutting her door since Charlie had come to stay with them. Part of him wanted to stay something to Charlie, but the main part of him argued against the very idea. He wanted to make sure he treated his sister right, but he knew that Gwen could handle herself.

When Ginny did come home she wiped her shoes off on the mat, strolled over to the couch, leaning down to kiss his cheek before heading for their room. Theo frowned, especially when a husky scent mixed in with salt air wafted off of her.

For the rest of the day she kept to herself, holed up in their room, legs tucked under their duvet as she scribbled away furiously on pieces of parchment. He hadn't even asked what she was writing; something told him she wasn't going to tell him. The clothes she had on that morning strewn on the ground next to her side of the bed; she was now wearing a thin, long-sleeved white shirt and navy blue and powder blue plaid shorts.

The few times she emerged from her sanctuary was when she had run out of coffee. Thinking back the only thing he saw her eat all day was a bagel smothered in cream cheese.

This morning when he woke up, the sheets' warmth was almost gone, and once again Ginny was nowhere to be seen. Theo found it largely disconcerting since he was so accustomed to warm sheets, a witch in his bed or at the very least the sound of the shower coming from the bathroom. This time however his witch had left him a note on his bedside table. Theo rolled onto his side, holding the piece of folded parchment between his index finger and middle finger, the smell of chocolates and mint strong as he unfolded it. Smiling at his girlfriend's familiar cursive handwriting.

 _Teddy,_

 _I left early so that I would get to King's Cross relatively early. It has also occurred to me that the Carrows may be suspicious of where I spent my Easter Holiday seeing as I 'don't know' where my family is. I needed some time this morning to think of a story. I'm not exactly sure what to tell them, but hopefully I'll figure it out before the train ride to Hogwarts is over. I love you and I'll see you tonight._

 _Love,_

 _Red._

 _P.S. Tell Gwen and Charlie not to break anything when they shag all over the house once we're all gone._

Theo sighed deeply, head sinking into his pillow as threw his arm over his eyes, the letter still in his hand. Theo heard movement from outside his door, recognising Blaise and Gwen's voices. If Blaise was up it meant that it was late. Theo sighed again, sitting up and throwing his sheets off of him. It was time to get ready before they missed the ruddy train.

...

Theo and Blaise arrived at Platform Nine and Three Quarters minutes before the train was meant to leave. They wanted to prolong the inevitable as long as they possibly could. At least that's what Blaise said as Theo tried to get the Italian to get a move on. Blaise was very lackadaisical about the whole thing, Theo almost yanked his hair out when Blaise was eating his toast. _"Can you eat, any slower?"_ Theo had asked as his dark skinned friend merely appraised him with a nonplussed expression. _"I'm not really looking forward to going back to the depths of hell. I'm sorry I'm not more ecstatic that we'll be back there tonight. It's been nice that good ol' Dark Lordy hasn't really asked us to do many missions after he flipped the fuck out about Dray and his parents."_

Currently Theo and Blaise were looking for the compartment Pansy and Daphne would have saved for them, and out of the corner of his eye he caught a flash of ginger hair and he spotted Ginny.

Ginny was sitting by the window on the right hand side. Again she was scribbling away like her life depended on it, smiling and occasionally joining in the conversation with the other girls in her compartment. Minutes later when Ginny looked through the glass of the sliding compartment door, Theo and Blaise were long gone.

….

Pansy was suspiciously eyeing Blaise and Theo on the opposite side of the compartment. One leg crossed over the other, arms folded across her chest, sitting almost regally, Daphne was avoiding meeting Blaise's eye by staring out at the scenery as it flew by, face propped up in her palm as she leaned against the armrest by the window.

"Ok, I think this foolishness has gone on long enough," Pansy scowled, pulling her wand out of her robes pocket and flicking it whilst muttering incantations under her breath. The blind on the compartment door was drawn, a locking spell on the door as well as a _Muffliato_ were cast in quick succession.

"Where are Draco and his parents, why do you look like a kicked dog and pray tell why are the two of you being absolutely ridiculous?" Pansy aimed the second question at Theo and the final at Blaise and Daphne.

"Pardon me?" Daphne narrowed her eyes, the rock on her left hand catching the light as she turned to face Pansy.

"You heard me, watching you two is actually painful," Pansy said frankly, raising an eyebrow.

"Draco and his parents are safe," Theo answered blankly, turning to look out of the window. Thoughts occupied by his significant other and wondering what it was that she was being so secretive about.

"Good. Now I repeat, why do you look like a kicked mutt?" Pansy pressed, Theo glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Why should I tell you that?" Theo queried.

"Theo just tell me, I'm not going to use it against you," Pansy sighed deeply, leaning forward, hands moving into her lap.

There was silence for a long, pregnant moment before he turned to face Pansy. "Make an Oath."

Pansy pursed her lips, deliberating internally as she made her decision. "How bad is it?"

"Bad isn't exactly the appropriate word," Blaise drawled, pulling a flask out of his pocket, Daphne frowned deeply when he tipped it to his lips; it wasn't Firewhisky like she suspected but water.

"Well then, I Pansy Parkinson pledge on my magic that whatever you tell me now, I will not disclose said information to any persons outside of this compartment or anyone that you do not want me to tell," Pansy raised the hand with her wand in it, which glowed faintly for a brief moment.

"That was a mouthful, Pans," Blaise whistled lowly.

"Daphne," Theo looked at the honey blonde expectantly.

"Fine," Daphne rolled her eyes, "I Daphne Greengrass swear on my magic that whatever you tell me at this time will not be discussed with anyone you do not want me to."

"First of all, you can't tell anyone until the War is done...and until The Dark Lord is defeated and the light prevails and all that shit," Blaise added quickly.

"I fucking knew it!" Pansy exclaimed gleefully, "I knew you had defected!"

"Congrats, you want a gold star?" Theo quirked an eyebrow, fully facing the two girls now, rubbing his hands together, forearms leaning on his thighs.

"Sod off, Nott," Pansy hissed, but nodded for him to continue with whatever else he was going to say.

"I am with Ginevra Weasley," Theo said simply, scrutinising the girls and preparing himself for the outbursts that were bound to happen.

"When you say ' _with_ ' do you mean on her side or do you mean that you're in a relationship with her?" Daphne asked reticently, wringing her hands in her lap.

"I am in love with her," Theo said in a firm tone, pale blue eyes darting between the girls. Pansy had an impassive expression on her face.

"So you're telling me that not only did you defect, but you're in love with a Weasley?" Pansy raised a finger, asking for confirmation. Theo replied with a curt nod.

"Oh, this is too _good_ ," Pansy grinned brightly, "little Theodore Nott has more balls than I originally thought."

"Piss off, Parkinson," Theo said, acid dripping in his tone.

"Well if you must know, I also want the Dark Lord to be defeated," Pansy said in a snooty tone.

"Why? You don't have to be a Death Eater, but you get all the benefits that your Father reaps from being one," Blaise asked her, taking another swig from his flask.

"He's insane, Blaise!" Pansy responded hotly, "he hasn't shied away from killing Purebloods and under his tyrannical rule nothing good is going to happen. Dementors roaming around freely, deranged bitches like Bellatrix on the loose, and even I have enough of a heart to tell you that practicing Unforgivables on Mud-Muggleborns is wrong."

"Hopefully Potter knows what he's doing," Theo said, raking a hand through his dark curls.

Pansy artfully flicked some of her dead straight dark hair over her shoulder, sharp eyes trained on Theo. "If there's one thing I know about Potter, is that trouble follows him like a shadow, but somehow, he always figures out a way out of it. If anyone can do it, he can."

"That was almost nice," Blaise's jaw dropped, flabbergasted.

"As far as anyone is concerned, I didn't say a word," Pansy smiled sweetly, voice covered in honey.

After that there wasn't much to say, Theo could see that Pansy was itching to ask more about Draco, but her pride wouldn't allow it. The remainder of the train ride to Hogwarts was fairly silent, a few words here and there, but for the majority there was a comfortable silence. _Red, I hope whatever it is, you know what you're doing,_ Theo thought to himself. _I really do._

...

 **Flashback**

 **Friday, 27th March, 1998**

Sirius and Remus had come over as soon as they could get away. Harry saw them approaching the cottage with an urgency rivalled by no other, kicking up sand as they walked. He looked to his right just as the two men burst into the cottage, the morning light shining across their backs, casting long shadows on the light floors in front of them.

"Harry!" Sirius exclaimed as he rushed towards him, pulling the raven haired boy into a bone-crushing hug. Harry didn't mind until he noticed Sirius's hold on him didn't loosen, even after a few minutes of rocking back and forth.

"Sirius-"

"Shhh, Harry. This way you can't run off again," Sirius whispered gently in Harry's ear, softly petting his head of unruly hair.

"You're just going to hug me until the War is over?" Harry asked incredulously, looking over Sirius's shoulder at Remus, pleading with his eyes. Remus shrugged, smiling, amused by the whole situation.

"If it'll keep you from running off and doing foolhardy things, then so be it," Sirius responded.

" _You're_ telling someone not to do foolhardy things?" Draco had come downstairs, probably to see what all the ruckus was about, and was now leaning against the wall a few feet away from Harry and Sirius.

"Cousin!" Sirius grinned crookedly, "I knew I smelled spoiled little rich boy somewhere."

"Touché," Draco smirked, pushing up off of the wall and striding over to the two raven haired men. Stopping a few inches away, feet spread apart slightly, his arms crossed. "I'm afraid you're going to have to let Potty go, we need him to save the Wizarding World and all that."

"Hey! I thought we were done with all that, Malfoy!" Harry protested, though his voice was slightly muffled as Sirius had tightened his hold on Harry; something he did not think was possible.

"Potter, there are a few things I have left in life that I enjoy at my fingertips, riling you up happens to be one of them. It doesn't mean that I don't...tolerate you," Draco's brow furrowed as he said the last part, "it simply means that it is entertaining, and you play the part of the 'enraged Gryffindor' so well."

"Draco, behave," Hermione said as she too joined them. Her hair was still damp from her shower, and she was wearing a long-sleeved emerald green shirt and a faded pair of blue jeans. She never said it aloud, but they knew that she was self conscious about the scar on her forearm; she loathed to see it.

"I always behave," Draco said in an affronted tone, hand moving to his chest in faux shock. Hermione gave him a loaded look, smirking when he scowled at her.

"Okay, Padfoot. Don't you think that I should be able to hug Harry as well," Remus asked.

"I would love to let you, Moony...but who knows what'll happen in the span of time it takes to move from my arms to yours," Sirius was looking over his shoulder at Remus, who rolled his eyes.

"I think it's safe to assume that Harry will not vanish walking two feet, if that," Remus shook his head, still mildly amused.

Sirius shoved out his bottom lip, "you have no idea what he's capable of," Sirius insisted in an eerie tone, grasping at the fabric of Harry's hoodie, ensuring that he had a tight hold on it.

"Padfoot," Remus said in a stern, scolding tone. "Release Harry before I have to pull you off of him."

Sirius narrowed his eyes at Remus, glancing at Harry out of the corner of his eyes; who was innocently blinking up at him. Breathing in deeply through his nostrils, he finally relented and released Harry from his clutches.

"If he runs away, it's your fault," Sirius said pointedly, wagging his finger at Remus; who had stepped forward and embraced Harry. His touch a little more gentle than Sirius's.

"I'm glad you're back, Harry," Remus murmured, his genuity clinging tightly to every word.

"Glad to be back, _Professor_ ," Harry said in a teasing tone, guffawing when Remus scowled. Their hug didn't last anywhere near as long as his with Sirius had, but that didn't make it any less meaningful. They were the closest thing he had to parents. He knew that Sirius and Remus would never call him their son, their boy, Harry, their responsibility maybe, but never their son. Sirius told him once, after Dumbledore's death, when Harry had wept in his arms, sobbing that he could have done something, that he should have done something.

 _"Harry, there was nothing you could do, Dumbledore didn't want you getting involved."_

 _"I was useless, Sirius, absolutely useless," Harry said in between wet gasps._

 _"Harry you are never useless, trust me, if your parents could see you now...they would be so proud of you, my boy," Sirius said, voice thick with emotion. Sirius shifted so that Harry was crying into his shoulder, the boy clinging to fistfuls of his shirt, Sirius rubbed soothing circles across his back; hating to hear such pained sobs coming from someone he loved so dearly._

"Where are Molly and Arthur? We need to discuss details of moving them to Muriel's place," Remus pursed his lips.

"Upstairs, probably still asleep," Hermione answered, "they were up late discussing something."

"Well, until then, who's hungry?" Sirius clapped his hands, rubbing them together afterwards, already heading in the direction of the kitchen.

"Padfoot! You're not allowed near stoves anymore! We don't want Molly's kitchen to explode!" Remus hurriedly followed after his friend.

"That was _one_ time, Moony!" Harry heard Sirius protest, sharing a look with Draco and Hermione; all deciding to follow after the animagus and werewolf. Molly would not be happy if she came downstairs to the kitchen in disarray. Harry smiled to himself as he made his way through the house, somehow things didn't seem that abysmal anymore.

….

 **Friday, 10th April, 1998**

Luna was sitting on the sand by the sea, just in reach of the tide so when it came in, it washed over her toes. Her hair was blowing about, she was barefoot and wearing a pale peach sundress that Fleur had lent her, that came to her knees and had thin straps. She was humming a jovial tone, wriggling her toes in the wet sand when he joined her.

Harry sat on the sand next to her, looking less haggard and worn down than when he had gotten here two weeks ago. Freshly shaven, though his hair was still past his shoulders and perpetually unruly.

The house was now relatively empty in comparison to how it had been when practically the entire Weasley clan had been here, with Draco, Hermione, Ron, Fleur, Bill, Ollivander, Griphook, Luna and Dobby being the only ones left.

"Hello, Harry," Luna smiled dreamily at the boy next to her.

"Luna," Harry smiled back happily; he wasn't sure what it was, but for the past couple weeks, seeing Luna made his heart squeeze and he felt immensely happier just being in her presence.

"Do you think that water sprites are shy since they never come out to play during the day?" Luna asked seriously, peering at the waves.

"I should think so," Harry answered back, just as seriously. Most people thought Luna was off her rocker whenever she talked about various creatures, but Harry was learning that she knew a lot more than most people gave her credit for. She was brilliant in her own way, and Harry was beginning to understand her better. Well, as much as one could understand Luna Lovegood.

"Harry, are you worried about Ginny?" Luna reached over and smoothed one of his eyebrows so that the hair was all going in one direction.

"A little, I'm guessing you have an idea about what we want to do then?" Harry raised an eyebrow, he wouldn't be surprised if she did.

"I have an inkling, do be careful Harry," Luna turned her silvery blue eyes on him, and he found himself getting lost in their depths.

"I'm always careful, Lu," Harry grinned crookedly. Luna surprised him when she leaned over and gently pressed her lips to his.

"Do you promise?" Luna asked, tilting her head to the side, her hair pooling in her lap and brushing the sand.

"I promise," Harry swallowed thickly, Luna reached out with her right hand and threaded her fingers with his left, her head moving to rest on his shoulder.

They sat like that for hours, gently conversing and keeping each other company. Harry's mind drifted back to the promise that he had just made Luna, and he hoped that he could keep it. _I'm going to try my best to keep her safe, Luna. I promise,_ Harry swore to himself once more, the salt air blowing through his hair. Hoping desperately that things didn't go horribly wrong, he couldn't live with himself if Ginny died unnecessarily.

...

 **Monday, April 13th, 1998**

Theo was lying on his back on top of his sheets on his bed. Staring blankly at his cream ceiling, wondering if he stared long enough he would begin to see the paint peel. Theo had essentially lied to Amycus earlier, the man had raised his eyebrows meaningfully at Theo in order to convey the question that need not be spoken anymore, as he had seen it so much that he automatically knew what he meant. ' _Do you have a task for the Dark Lord or some other Death Eater business to do?'_ Theo had given the man a sharp nod before grabbing his things and leaving.

Hours had passed since then, mind numbing hours where the ceiling suddenly seemed infinitely more interesting that everything else in the house.

Nothing made sense anymore. Ginny wasn't talking to him, cordial glances as she passed by him and subtle nods when no one was looking was drastically different from how it was before school started back.

He hadn't seen Draco since he left Shell Cottage and returned to _their_ cottage, _their_ safe haven, the place where everything dreadful and heinous was kept at bay.

The main thing that bothered him was _that smell,_ it clung to Ginny heavily whenever he passed by her. He knew that smell, it seemed so familiar, yet he couldn't put his finger on it.

The light faded from the room, the sky a dark, black expanse, the stars shining brightly, mocking him. Sounds of Gwen and Charlie bustling about the kitchen as they both attempted to make something that resembled dinner filled his ears; he still did not move.

Numb. Thoughts flying through his mind, every worst case scenario playing through his mind in painstaking detail.

Then it came to him, sharply slicing through the darkness, confusion and doubt that had clouded his mind for the last couple weeks. "Potter."

...

 **Tuesday, April 14th, 1998**

 **Shell Cottage**

"You're both insane," Draco said in disbelief, arms crossed, sitting down in the armchair in the room he shared with Hermione, as Ginny and Harry stood in front of him. Grim determination splayed across their faces. " _Insane."_

"I thought so at first," Harry began and Ginny hit his arm a little too hard to be construed as playful. Shooting the ginger a dirty look he turned back to Draco, "if it works though...it would be the solution to a few of our problems."

"Okay boys, I'd really like to stay but classes start soon and Alecto has been watching me with an uncomfortable intensity as of late," Ginny said, moving to pull Harry in a quick hug, stepping in front of Draco, leaning down to kiss his cheek and hug him tightly.

"Be careful, Red," Draco whispered in her ear before he let her go, she nodded curtly at him. She didn't give anyone a chance to say anything else before she was out of the door.

"Potter she can die if anything, and I mean anything doesn't go according to plan," Draco said in a tone which Harry almost mistook for nonchalant; that was before he saw the icy glare Draco fixed him with. "She's my family and unless we are one hundred percent sure this is going to work, and that we have a plan for every possible outcome...she is not doing this."

"I find when we plan out things it never really works," Harry rubbed the back of his neck, his other hand moving to fix his glasses back properly on the bridge of his nose.

"Well you've never planned anything out with me before, now have you?" Draco drawled lazily, clicking his teeth together.

"Fair enough…" Harry's bright green eyes sparkled with a bit of mischief, this was a crazy, deranged plan, but if they pulled it off, it would be the crazy, deranged plan that _worked._ If Sirius or Remus had been there at that moment, they would have probably scolded Harry for this insane plan but at the same time be suggesting pointers and ideas. They were the Kings of crazy, deranged plans.

"She hasn't told Teddy has she?" Draco asked as the thought suddenly occurred to him.

"No," Harry grimaced.

"Shit. He's not going to be happy when he finds out," Draco uttered a string of curses, torn between telling Theo himself and keeping it from him. _It's not my decision to make, this one is up to Red since it is her bloody plan, and this is between them. Fuck. I hate keeping things from Teddy,_ Draco deliberated internally. Part of him hated Ginny for putting him in this situation in the first place, but mostly he understood why she had. All he could do was hope that she decided to tell Theo of her own volition.

….

 **Sunday, April 19th, 1998**

"What's going on with you and Red?" Blaise questioned over breakfast, for once he was drinking tea in his teacup; Earl Grey to be exact. Theo was frowning deeply down at his plate of food. He'd eaten a strip of bacon and that was it. "Teddy?"

"I don't know," Theo muttered, using his fork to push his bacon, potato hash and scrambled eggs about his plate.

"I was going to ask where Gin has been as of late," Charlie commented, shovelling eggs into his mouth, only stopping to smile lightly at Gwen as she grimaced at his table manners. Living on a reserve with mainly men the last few years had not helped in that respect. Men that were often on the move, barely stopping to eat meals aside from dinner. Where they had all gathered in the Hall, food and drink aplenty. Laughter and conversation often boisterously echoing throughout the hall, the noise pouring out onto the reserve.

"Charles, really, use a napkin please," Gwen pursed her lips in disapproval when he wiped his greasy fingers on his jeans, the bacon still hanging out of the side of his mouth.

Despite the fact that her living conditions had been deplorable at best for the past ten years; Gwen got accustomed to using a knife and fork again quite easily. It was most likely the Pureblood upbringing that she had been subjected to for the first sixteen years of her life. She stopped quite often to dab daintily at her mouth with her napkin.

"Is it worse this term?" Gwen asked quietly, fixing Theo with a knowing look.

"At Hogwarts?" Blaise piped up, Gwen rolled her eyes before responding with, "no, Beauxbatons."

"Alecto seems a little more unhinged this term, it may be because Longbottom hasn't left the Room of Requirement for a while now. She hates that she can't find him and several other students...she's taking it out on some of the younger years," Theo answered his sister's question, slowly eating forkfuls of his food.

"What's her obsession with Longbottom anyway?" Blaise wondered aloud, eyes tilted upwards as he pondered on what Alecto's beef with Neville could possibly be.

"Don't know, don't care. What I do know is that Longbottom with his bleeding heart would probably want to come out if only to stop it, but someone has more than likely talked him out of it," Theo said in a glum tone. Blaise was beginning to seriously worry about his friend. He knew Theo. He'd known him his entire life. Theo didn't normally show his feeling externally, so when he did it usually wasn't a good sign.

 _I think I need to have a conversation with Red,_ Blaise glanced at Theo again, whilst chewing his own food; he had been the one to prepare it today, and thought, _we need to have a conversation and soon._

...

 **Thursday, 23rd April, 1998**

 **Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

Ginny didn't go back to the Cottage very often these days, mainly her time was occupied in making sure that the Carrows didn't get too out of hand.

It wasn't a strange sight to see Ginny in the Room of Requirement, rocking younger years to sleep. Telling stories of nicer times and being a confident for all their fears and she often woke up in the middle of the night to terror filled screams which she sprinted towards and rocked whoever it was back to sleep, holding them until she was sure that they were out.

She hadn't had a proper conversation with Theo in two weeks now, usually only seeing him in passing along the corridors. Whenever she could get away, she went to Shell Cottage. Whenever she wasn't sleeping in the Room of Requirement she was there.

Harry and her were trying to figure out if her plan was even feasible, they looped Draco into it and made him promise not to tell a soul.

Almost three weeks had passed since school resumed after Easter break, and Ginny had accidentally bumped into Theo earlier on during the day. A deep frown was on his face, and it wasn't until later when she noticed that Harry's smell was clinging to her still. She had snuck out early that morning to confirm that their plan was to be set in motion over the next few days.

For once though Ginny was in her dorm in the Gryffindor Tower; she kind of just wanted to escape it all. _I'll take a nap for about an hour and then I'll head to the Room of Requirement,_ Ginny thought to herself, noting that none of the other Gryffindor girls had returned to their dorm yet. Rubbing her eyes, Ginny dropped her school bag on the ground, she noticed how bare her section of the room was. Besides what she had brought into the room with her just moments before, she had maybe a handful of things in the trunk at the bottom of her bed and a book she had picked up in the library on her bedside table, and that was pretty much it. Most of her belongings were in the Room of Requirement in her tent.

"I am so tired," Ginny yawned, slipping off her shoes, socks and then her outer robes. She was about to strip further when she heard the floorboards creak behind her.

"I think I can help with that," a voice said cheerfully, when Ginny turned around she barely caught a glimpse of pale skin and brown hair before her vision faded to black.

* * *

 ***Peeks between fingers* You love me, you do. It'll be okay, I swear.**

 **Please leave a review and let me know what you think :)**

 **I know this chapter was exceptionally long, for those of you who like long chapters...hope you had fun :p**

 **Love you,**

 **Indieblue xxx**


	26. Is This Goodbye Forever?

**First of all, again, I repeat, we're getting back into the darker side of this fic. You have been warned. Sexual themes, and graphic content, so please be mindful of that, please.**

 **Everyone's reviews over the last couple of days made me so happy I decided to update again, I am sorry for what's about to happen...but it needed to.**

 **My tumblr: indiebluecrown. tumblr. com**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, the story line and any OC's belong to me.**

 **For Anna xxx**

* * *

 **Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

 _Clip, clop, clip, clop._ Blue black heels moved across the stone corridor with extreme haste, night had fallen so all of the torches lined throughout the corridors were already lit. The thin woman made sure to peek around corners before proceeding, she didn't wish anyone to disturb her. A toothy, triumphant smile was etched onto her face.

Alecto had levitated the unconscious ginger haired girl behind her as she strolled throughout the castle, until she reached her destination; a small, abandoned classroom, on the side of the castle that no one used anymore. With a few flicks of her wand the torches on the walls were lit, providing dim light in what would have otherwise been an endless darkness. The windows were boarded up, the chalkboard and everything else covered in a thick layer of dust. The only piece of furniture was a chair that Alecto had seen fit to bring, also levitating it behind her. It was the same one that she placed Ginny in before spraying the girl with water from her wand, " _Aguamenti._ "

Ginny woke up with a start, almost falling down when she tried to stop the water that was currently dousing her from head to toe. Gasping for air after Alecto was finished. Water droplets dripping onto the stone ground, _drip, drop, drip, drop._

"Well, _Red_ ," Alecto purred, circling around the bound girl. "Amycus isn't here to stop me today," the brown haired woman's tongue darted out of her mouth and ran across her lips; moments later her front teeth caught her bottom lip and she made a delighted sound in the back of her throat.

"Fuck off, bitch," Ginny snarled, baring her teeth at the older witch, her wet hair sticking to her face.

Alecto stooped down, yanking hard on Ginny's hair when she reached her level. "This is _my_ playground and there's no one who can save you or hear you scream," Alecto tipped her head back and laughed maniacally, raking her razor sharp nails across Ginny's cheek. Her skin rose in angry welts as it split open, thin trickles of blood trailing down her cheek.

Ginny glared defiantly at the woman in front of her, hatred radiating off of her in waves; Alecto only seemed to revel in it.

Alecto as per usual after classes was scantily dressed, today she was wearing a black lace bra with her nipples printing against the thin fabric, a black thong and shiny black stilettos with a neat bow in the sides around her ankles. Her outer robes were thrown to the side haphazardly.

Ginny didn't shy away from danger but the crazed look in Alecto's eye made her flinch. Whatever morals this woman had, had long gone out of the window. She planned this. She didn't care how far she carried out what she deemed fit as punishment today, she wasn't going to stop until she was satisfied.

"This can go one of two ways," Alecto stated simply, licking the length of her wand. "You can willingly follow everything I say, or I punish you for being a bad girl."

Ginny squared her jaw, if it meant getting out of here as fast as possible, then she would co-operate. 'Yes, M'am."

Alecto grinned devilishly before reaching behind her and unhooking her bra, which she dangled between two fingers after it was off before dropping it next to her.

"What are you doing?" Ginny frowned, ignoring the fact that Alecto's small, perky breasts were now fully exposed to her.

"I would have preferred to have Longbottom be the one to do this to," Alecto sighed, "alas he has disappeared and I don't get the chance to exact my revenge on him in his Father's stead."

"Neville's Father?" Ginny queried, perhaps she could buy herself some time to either figure out a way out of this or for someone to find them and get her the hell out of this mess.

Amycus was Alecto's moral compass Ginny discovered as Alecto began her tale, her heels clicking across the stones as she straddled Ginny's lap, licking the cuts she created on the girl's cheek.

"Frank. _Dear_ little Frank Longbottom," Alecto sneered, "that bastard almost killed me." Ginny's eyebrows rose at that, but she didn't say a word.

 **Elsewhere in the castle at that exact moment** , Theo's fist connected with Amycus's jaw. Amycus shot Theo a dirty look, "why is it so _important_ what happens to the Weasley bitch anyways?"

"Perhaps we're concerned with what the hell the Dark Lord is going to do when he finds out that not only did you let Alecto torture a student without a reason, but most likely kill or spill Pure blood," Blaise spat, moving as if to hit the man as well, before Amycus raised his hands in surrender.

"I will help you look for her, if only to stop Alecto from going too far," Amycus sighed in resignation.

 **Twenty Minutes Ago**

A first year Slytherin had come up to Pansy and told her that they saw Alecto levitating a ginger haired girl down a corridor, in addition to a chair. Her lip had trembled, because though they didn't know her name, the girl said that the older student had comforted her after one of her Defense classes once, holding her and rocking her back and forth as she hummed a pleasant melody. They wanted to help her, though they knew against the Muggle Studies teacher they wouldn't stand a chance.

Pansy eyes widened as the first year elaborated on their story, springing up and running to stop Theo and Blaise from leaving the castle as they always did around this time. Hair flying out behind her, robes billowing as she ran, heels making sharp noises as they hit the ground.

When she finally reached them, she was panting and holding her sides, Blaise was about to make a pert comment, when he saw Pansy's distressed expression, "It's Weasley, she's in trouble. Alecto. Alecto took her."

Theo and Blaise were gone in moments. "She said Alecto, which means Amycus may or may not be involved!" Blaise panted out as they sprinted towards the Defense classroom.

"Either way, we need to find Red, and now!" Theo responded.

 **Currently** , Ginny was learning just how deep and twisted Alecto's mind actually was. "It was just supposed to be a simple mission, go in, find the Order members and kill them." Alecto sulked, "but then just as I was about to dispatch that filthy mudblood Mary McDonald, _Frankie_ Longbottom came out of nowhere and disarmed me. He had the nerve to take my wand away from me. Not only that, but he stunned me, tied me up and left me in that disgusting hole until Amycus found me. I've never been so disrespected in my life!" Alecto screamed, startling Ginny who almost made the chair topple over.

Alecto leaned back, "I suppose you're done stalling for time now then, little ginger?" She stuck her bottom lip out and then grasped Ginny's face in hers. _Shit_ , Ginny cursed mentally. "Like I said, you can willingly participate or I can punish you. Which is going to be?" Alecto tilted her head to the side, tapping Ginny's cheek with her index finger.

"I suppose I'll co-operate," Ginny said through clenched teeth. Alecto grinned triumphantly, rotating her hips, leaning down and roughly pressing her lips to Ginny's, biting hard on her bottom lip until she drew blood, shoving her tongue in Ginny's mouth violently. _It is not going to end like this, I am not going to get raped by this woman_. Ginny tried to think of what to do as Alecto violated her mouth, the woman was moving her hips faster as she did. When Ginny remembered that the woman had tucked her wand in the side of her thong when she took off her bra earlier.

Ginny tried to focus, she needed to free her hands so she could get a hold of Alecto's wand. Alecto's hands moved down and began to eagerly grab at Ginny's breasts. Ginny could feel how aroused Alecto was because her legs began to quiver slightly, her tongue roaming the entirety of Ginny's mouth without permission. She pinched at Ginny's nipples through the thin fabric of her lace bra, causing sharp stabs of pain to travel through her body. Ginny winced.

Then the strangest thing happened. Alecto pulled back, hungrily licking her lips, covered in Ginny's blood; when Ginny felt a familiar pull. The next thing she knew she was diving into the depths of Alecto's dark eyes. Plunging into darkness.

Ginny opened her eyes and looked around her, images and flashes pouring into her mind. _No. Focus._ Ginny centred herself like Theo taught her and then it all stopped. She knew what she had to do. _First to get these ropes off of me._

...

When Theo, Blaise and Amycus found Ginny and Alecto, the Gryffindor was standing over Alecto's limp body, her wrists still looked rubbed raw from the ropes that were dangling in her hand.

"Weasley?" Blaise said warily, stepping into the dimly lit room, the lights flickering across the two females in the middle of it.

"She's just unconscious," Ginny responded coldly, dropping the thick ropes that splashed as they landed in the water that was covering the ground.

"What did you do?" Amycus screamed in an outrage, stepping menacingly towards Ginny, the redhead was staring down at Alecto, her pupils dilated so there was barely any blue left in them.

"She was going to rape me, I saw it in her eyes. So I merely stopped her by knocking her out. I don't tell Snape or kill her and you forget this ever happened," Ginny said blankly as she turned around, giving the boys a proper look at her for the first time since they entered the room. She looked deadly, the shadows sharply covering half of her face, a line of blood trailing down her chin, the scratches on her cheek standing out harshly in the poor lighting.

Theo was taken aback for a moment, it was the look in her eyes, it was a look that said she was capable of doing anything.

Ginny didn't say anything further, she merely took off her tie as she began to walk towards the door, bare feet splashing as she moved through the water; the only noise as everyone else in the room was dead silent, frozen in place.

Ginny did however pause when she was beside Amycus, "keep her in line next time." With that she strode out of the room, Theo and Blaise not sure what else to do but silently follow her. Leaving Amycus to pick his unconscious twin up off of the ground and he began to internally come to terms with the monster his sister had become; what he had allowed her to become by turning a blind eye all these years.

…

"Red, stop. We need to take you to the infirmary," Theo called out from behind his girlfriend.

"I was just inside that disgusting woman's head and I saw things I didn't want to see. I found out that besides leaving her tied up and left for dead. The real reason she hates Frank Longbottom is because she was infatuated with him. It was a creepy, obsessive love and she felt betrayed when he fell in love with Alice." Ginny whirled around, eyes ablaze. "The last thing I need right now is to go the infirmary. What I need right now is to go to…" Ginny voice dropped to a low whisper, eyes darting around as paranoia began to creep in, " _Harry_."

Theo recoiled like she had physically hit him, a pained expression crossed his face. "What?"

"Don't be ridiculous, you need to be looked at, especially those nasty cuts on your cheek," Blaise scowled, not seeing how intensely Ginny was looking at Theo, silently pleading for forgiveness. Though the dark haired wizard was thinking it was for another reason. Blaise had stepped past his best friend and was trying to examine Ginny's injuries, but she swatted his hand away.

"Is that where you've been sneaking off to? You've been going to see _him_?" Theo snarled, fists clenched at his sides. Ginny noted that he didn't seem surprised, outraged and hurt yes, but not surprised.

Ginny reached out to touch him, how she wanted to tell him. She couldn't though. If she did then he wouldn't let her go, and she needed to do this. Theo took a step back, turning his head away from her, not seeing the hurt that flashed across her features.

"I love you," Ginny smiled sadly, she squeezed Blaise's hand quickly before turning on her heel and walking as swiftly as she could.

"What are you doing you wanker?" Blaise asked angrily, "go after her!"

Theo looked at Blaise, jaw set, mouth drawn in a grim line. "No."

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Blaise threw his hands in the air. "You know. You two are _good_ together. You make me feel like there's hope. One day I may be able to be with Daphne...but everything is going to shit. She's keeping secrets and you're doubting her. One _fucking_ conversation and maybe you wouldn't be in this mess." Blaise grabbed a fistful of the front of Theo's shirt, "I know you saw that look in her eyes. It's that 'Gryffindor, I'm about to do something entirely questionable, utterly reckless and horribly planned' look. We need to stop her before she does, whatever the fuck it is that she's thinking if doing." Theo still didn't say anything.

"That fucking 'I love you', sounded scarily like a damn goodbye to me, and I won't stand by and let one of the people I love do something that's going to cost her, her life," Blaise spat, face contorted in disgust as he let go of Theo. Hurriedly following after Ginny, his feet slapping across the ground as he ran. Theo was left alone. Alone. Alone. _Alone._

…

Blaise knew that everything Ginny would care about would be in her tent in the Room of Requirement, so he didn't even bother heading to the Gryffindor Tower. Which he wouldn't be able to explain either way.

When he arrived he saw Neville's despondent expression and he knew that she was gone. Whatever the Gryffindor had tried to say to stop her hadn't worked. Ginevra Weasley was gone, and Blaise didn't know if he was ever going to see her again. To say that his tent was trashed that night and that he went through two bottles of Firewhisky would be an understatement. Neville and Theo found him in the morning, strewn across his hammock, the only thing left intact. Blaise opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was Theo's crestfallen expression, guilt clouding his eyes. Blaise broke down in Theo's arms then, both wizards clutching at each other for support. Both lying to themselves that everything was going to be okay. It wasn't.

* * *

 **To be continued...**

 **Indieblue xxx**

 **P.S. Hehe :3 here you go Kitty Cat!**


	27. The Aftermath

**I had wanted to prolong posting this for a little bit longer, but I just really wanted to see everyone's reactions.**

 **I want to thank everyone for their lovely reviews! I love you all so much :D Just before I posted this there were 69 reviews on this story and it made me giggle a little bit. I'm totally mature I swear.**

 **Again, we're not in the nice part of the story right now and Ginny is going through some dark shit...I mean, what almost happened in the last chapter was highly traumatic.**

 **Everyone is being unfair right now, and everyone has their flaws. They're all just doing what they think is right.**

 **I hope you all like this chapter!**

 **Please leave me a review and let me know what you think :)**

 **My tumblr: indiebluecrown. tumblr. com**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's belong to me.**

* * *

 **Thursday, 24th April, 1998**

 **Shell Cottage**

Even though Ginny had left Hogwarts in the middle of the night, she hadn't reached her destination until the next morning. She found that she wasn't ready to interact with anyone yet, no matter how much she knew she had to. Which is why she gave herself a night, a night to process what she had just gone through. At least enough so that she could pull herself together. After tonight she would put it in the back of her mind, she couldn't afford to be cowering in fear right now.

She must have looked a mess last night, even though she had glamoured her injuries so that the muggle Innkeeper that she spoke to do book a room for the night wouldn't ask questions. She didn't remember much of the interaction, she handed them some muggle money that she kept in case of emergencies; it was then that she thanked her father for collecting muggle currency when he could. Before she knew it she was in the small room, with a double bed, a bedside table beside it, an armchair by the window, and a small bathroom. She tried to ignore her shaking hands as she stripped off her uniform, in her haste to leave the castle she hadn't had the chance to change. Ginny de-glamoured herself and stared at her reflection in the mirror.

Her hair was sticking up in several directions, dried blood covered her chin and cheek, the scratches standing out in the bright light against her pale skin. It was then that she noticed that she had lost a little weight, Molly would probably scold her for not taking care of herself and eating properly. Ginny's head was pounding, and she didn't remember hitting anything, but she gingerly reached up and touched the back of her head, wincing when her fingers came into contact with the rather sizeable bump that was there.

Ginny turned on the hot water and steam quickly filled the small bathroom, fogging up the mirror. Ginny stepped into the tub, sitting down under the spray, holding her knees as the scalding hot water from the showerhead hit the backside of her.

Then she cried. The dirt and blood washing off of her body and swirling down the drain. She cried because she didn't know if she was doing the right thing, she cried because she felt dirty, she cried as she remembered Alecto's touch. Finally she cried because of the look in Theo's eyes as he recoiled from her.

She didn't know how long she was in there, but when she was finished crying she scrubbed her body, she scrubbed until her hands felt numb and her skin was bright pink.

Ginny wrapped one of the soft white towels from the handrail in the bathroom around her, wandlessly casting a drying charm on her hair. She padded across the cream tiles and opened the door, the steam rushing out into the other room. Ginny didn't bother changing or putting on any of the clothes that she had shoved into her bag from her tent.

She crawled under the sheets, dropping her towel on the ground by the side of her bed, burying herself under the duvet.

 _There's no one who can save you or hear you scream,_ Ginny flinched as she heard Alecto's voice clear as day ringing in her ears, clenching her eyes tightly shut, hands over her ears, she whimpered.

Ginny fell asleep curled up in a tight ball, tear tracks still fresh on her cheeks, a slight frown on her face.

 _It was bright, abnormally bright. The sounds of leaves rustling and happy laughter filled her ears. Ginny turned around and saw that she was in the middle of a field, underneath a large oak tree. Rolling hills were all you could see for miles into the distance until the green blended into the bright blue of the horizon._

 _Ginny felt a tap on her shoulder and she automatically whirled around, high on alert when she was met with a painfully familiar pair of pale blue eyes._

 _"Red," Theo said, grinning crookedly. Ginny's tongue swiped quickly across her bottom lip, feeling how dry and cracked it was._

 _Theo was dressed in a black t-shirt, fitted black trousers and for some reason his feet were bare, his house ring still on his hand. His long curls were pushed back out of his eyes, he looked relaxed, happy, hands in his pockets._

 _"Teddy?" Ginny whispered, her mind felt foggy. No, this couldn't be real. Then Theo stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, she could practically feel his hot breath on the side of her neck, his body pressed up against familiar and it felt like home._

 _"Red?"_

 _"Yes, Teddy?"_

 _"I hate you."_

 _Ginny froze, her heart skipping a beat as the voice she knew so well said the last thing she ever wanted to hear fall from his lips. "What?" Ginny mumbled, ice running through her veins as his arms left her, left her, left her._

 _When she looked up, his eyes were pitch black, no whites to be seen, the shadows from the tree seemed to be harsher, the sudden BOOM of thunder made her flinch, she involuntarily took a step away from Theo. She clutched at the fabric of her shirt when he smiled, it was an unnaturally wide smile, the next thing she knew, his lips were tearing at the corners, the skin parting, his smile stretching from ear to ear, his teeth and gums exposed._

 _"I hate you, Ginevra," his voice sounded odd, different now, dropping lower with each syllable, this time when he took a step towards her, she didn't hesitate, she bolted._

 _The thunder rolled and cracked, the once bright and sunny day was now dark, stormy and grey. The happiness looked like it had been sucked right out of the world._

 _The ground began to crumble, crack and fall away around her, soon she was leaping from large sections of earth that were left, sections that were getting smaller by the second. Ginny swallowed as she prepared herself to jump across the deep crevice that was now in front of her. One, inhale, two, exhale, three, inhale, four, jump! She felt her leg connect with the ground and she was okay, then the dirt and little grass that remained began to slide out from under her feet. She was falling, falling, falling, the last thing she saw was the wretched version of Theo, smiling at her widely, pitch black eyes never leaving hers._

Ginny shot up with a jolt, covered in a cold sweat, the sheets underneath her were damp, when she looked down at the sheets she saw blood and was confused until she touched her face, it seemed that in her thrashing and most likely screaming during that harrowing and macabre nightmare that she had just experienced she had torn open the cuts on her cheek. _Well I'm not getting any sleep tonight,_ Ginny thought sombrely, she bent her knee and propped her elbow up on it, hand thrust into her hair, her other hand bearing most of her weight, fingers grasping at the sheets. She lay awake all night, staring up at the ceiling, memories of Alecto swirling around in her mind along with the fresh image of the twisted, disturbing version of Theo that she had seen in her nightmare.

...

When she arrived at Shell Cottage, Harry was sitting at the kitchen table with Luna, talking about Thestrals sipping a cup of coffee when he spotted her. He almost dropped his cup, quietly he asked Luna if she would go get Draco, and then he rushed to her side, asking her about what had happened. Ginny said that she would wait until Draco came so that she didn't have to recount it more than once. Half an hour later everyone was caught up to speed, and Draco and Luna had insisted that she let them take a proper look at her.

"Are you sure you still want to do this?" Harry asked Ginny for the fifth time in as many minutes, hand lightly resting on the girl's shoulder as Luna and Draco inspected her injuries; Ginny was seated on a stool in the middle of the kitchen.

Hermione was sleeping upstairs and Ron had left for the day to go see his parents at his Aunt Muriel's. Tensions were getting high as more names they recognised either disappeared or wound up dead, Ron wanted to spend as much time with his family as possible.

Ginny hissed when Draco's fingers pressed a little too firmly on the bump across the back of her. Ginny was almost positive she had been stunned, but she remembered that she had been right next to her bed, her head might have smashed into the bed frame when she was knocked out.

"I am sure, we may need to do this sooner rather than later though, when Alecto wakes up she's going to know what I am," Ginny said grimly, her eye shut as Luna cleaned the scratches on the cheek below it. Ginny's hand shot up and grasped Luna's wand arm when the blonde raised her wand.

"I want it to heal naturally...as a reminder...that I lived through it, that," Ginny paused, biting down on her bottom lip, not meeting anyone's eyes. She inhaled deeply through her nostrils before exhaling slowly through her mouth. Then with a renewed spark and a fiery defiance in her eyes she looked up, "I survived and I want to remember. Remember that she didn't beat me...that she didn't rape me," Ginny said, her tone surly, but steady and sure.

"You sure, Ginevra?" Luna whispered, stroking the skin below the scratches. Ginny's cheek was still red around the scratches, but the swelling was going down.

"I'm sure Lu," Ginny reached out to grab a hold of her best friend's other hand, squeezing it.

"From what I can tell you don't seem to have a concussion, so there's that," Draco informed Ginny, slowly walking from behind her and stopping next to Harry, who had shifted so that Luna had more room to work.

"I know you've been studying healing magic since Luna's back injury a few months back, Dray," Ginny smiled faintly, it hurt when she smiled too widely, the skin on her cheek felt as if it was tearing apart again.

"Back injury?" Harry frowned, clearly he had not been informed of that. Luna peered at him over her shoulder.

"I'm fine now, Harry. Don't worry," Luna said airily, before turning back to Ginny's face. "You may need a few stitches, she really dug into your face, Ginny."

"Just do what you think you have to," Ginny told Luna, nodding at the silent question that the Ravenclaw was asking her.

"You want any painkillers, Red?" Draco asked, fixing one of his rolled up sleeves on his white button down.

"I'll manage, I've had worse Quidditch injuries," Ginny reassured the blonde boy, who still didn't look convinced, but nodded regardless.

"Hermione is going to wake up soon, I think I'll go keep her occupied since I don't think you want her getting involved. Especially since she's going to want to go with you for this insane venture," Draco drawled, stepping forward to tuck some of Ginny's hair behind her ear before leaving. "Remember that silencing and locking charms are your friends!" Ginny called out after Draco, who made an obscene gesture before he disappeared through the kitchen doorway. Ginny listened to his footsteps as they got farther and farther away.

It was then that she noticed how Harry was watching Luna fondly, a warmth in his eyes and the corners of his mouth turned upwards.

"Luna, I have a question to distract me from the fact that you're sewing my face shut," Ginny said in an amused tone, watching as her best friend crossed the room, rifling through one of the kitchen drawers by the sink before she found what she was looking for. Luna returned with a needle and thread, and as she began to sterilise the needle with a wandless spell that she muttered under her breath she raised her eyebrows, indicating that Ginny could proceed with her question.

"What do you think about our little Chosen One over here?" Ginny wriggled her eyebrows. Luna threaded the needle before stepping towards Ginny, stopping in front of her with a thoughtful expression.

"He is quite handsome, a bit rash, has a tendency to get himself into trouble, he has enchanting eyes, loves Quidditch," Luna bent over slightly, and Ginny braced herself for the needle to pierce her skin, hands clutching the sides of the stool as it did.

"He's intelligent, horrible with girls, sarcastic and kind," Luna paused as she focused on sewing the cuts on Ginny's face shut.

"Wow, Luna, thanks," Harry drawled sardonically, pulling up a chair from the kitchen table and sitting backwards on the chair, close enough for him to see everything that was going on without getting in the way.

"I think that's pretty accurate, so how long have the two of you been a thing?" Ginny gritted out the last part through clenched teeth as Luna kept working.

"Almost two weeks?" Luna halted in her work to think, expression dreamy as she glanced at Harry. "Ginny, he does this wonderful thing with his tongue-"

"Okay, Lu, I think that's quite enough!" Harry interjected hurriedly, his face turning beet red. Ginny would've burst out laughing if not for the fact that Luna was in the middle of fixing her face.

"Oh no, Harry, I would love to hear this. Just how good with his tongue is he, Lu?" Ginny wriggled her eyebrows, fighting off the smile that was threatening to break out across her face. Trying to keep as still as humanly possible for Luna's sake; she didn't want to make the task at hand any more difficult than it had to be.

"Well-" Luna began before Harry jumped up, gently placing his hands on the petite blonde's waist.

"I think that's enough sharing, Luna," Harry whispered into the girl's ear. Ginny smiled wanly at the two; she was happy that two people she loved so much had found each other. Harry and Luna complemented each other wonderfully, Luna understood Harry on a level that most didn't without him even needing to say anything, and he was fascinated by how unique she was, even in the magical world, she didn't care what anyone else thought about her and he admired that about her.

"So when are we're really doing this then, Gin?" Harry asked the redhead as Luna finished up the last couple stitches.

"Yes, Harry, we are," Ginny said firmly, blue eyes flashing with determination.

"When?" Harry asked.

"As soon as possible," Ginny replied, "not tomorrow, so we can have some time to properly go over the details, Draco especially will be happy with that. So...in two days?"

Harry looked at Ginny with sombre eyes, fixing her with a sad stare, "Two days," he repeated in confirmation, giving her a tiny nod, wrapping his arms around Luna's shoulders from behind, the blonde girl leaning back against him, the needle and string in one hand, her other one moving to grasp his forearm tightly.

"Is there anyone else we should involve, or do you want to keep it between the four of us?" Ginny asked Harry, who was about to respond when the kitchen door flung outwards, a huffing and puffing girl standing in the doorway, letting in copious amount of morning light, Ginny's eyes widened when pale blue eyes met her own, piercing into her soul.

"Shit," Ginny mumbled under her breath, looking at the girl's companion, though it was to no avail as the dark haired girl stormed into the kitchen, when she reached Ginny she gruffly lifted her partially off of the stool she was sitting on, a low growl tearing from her lips.

"Morning Gwendolyn, lovely day, isn't it?" Ginny smiled weakly, hands raised in surrender.

"Ginevra Weasley, you better fucking start explaining yourself," Gwen snarled, "start by explaining why the fuck my little brother stumbled into the house this morning, pissed drunk with bloodshot eyes, Blaise wasn't much different."

"I tried to stop her," Ginny heard Charlie explain softly to Harry and Luna, "but she was beyond reasoning with."

"Gwen, how about you put me down, and then we can talk. Until then I'm not going to say a word," Ginny said in a firm tone, not giving an inch. Gwen narrowed her eyes to slits, but begrudgingly complied. Ginny smoothed down her shirt, and sighed deeply.

"I have a plan to help Harry and the others with locating the remaining horcruxes," Ginny averted her eyes, not wanting to see the look in her brother's eyes when he heard what she had to tell him.

"Horcruxes?" Charlie and Gwen repeated dumbly at the same time.

"Not important, all you need to know is that we need to destroy them to get rid of You-Know-Who," Ginny replied, closing her eyes, wringing her hands together in her lap.

"Okay, so what is this plan?" Gwen asked, hands on her hips.

"We're going to break into Malfoy Manor and I'm going to use Legilimency on You-Know-Who," Ginny said quietly, finally looking up at the dumbstruck expressions of her brother and his significant other.

"You're going to _what_?" Gwen squeaked out, eyes widening, mouth agape.

" _That's bloody mental,_ " Charlie whistled lowly, pushing his fingers into his hair, tugging lightly at it.

"That's what I said," Draco drawled from the kitchen doorway, shaking his head silently, "welcome to Crazytown, where shit just went down the rabbit hole." When everyone frowned at his comparison he rolled his eyes, "I am dating a Muggleborn and I like to read, it's a muggle thing."

Charlie and Gwen still looked slightly perplexed whilst Harry began to explain softly to Luna about Alice in Wonderland. Ginny raised an eyebrow before standing up, fingers still interlocked.

"Ignoring that, I know it sounds mental but-"

"I want to help," Gwen interjected, crossing her arms over her chest and fixing Ginny with a determined stare.

"Fuck it, danger is practically my middle name," Charlie shrugged, throwing an arm across Gwen's shoulders, "count me in too."

"So when is this craziness supposed to go down?" Charlie queried.

"Two days," Ginny answered, jaw set as she met the brown eyes of her brother. "We're doing this in two days."

* * *

 **Plans are revealed and you all probably think I'm insane for coming up with this. I am almost positive no one saw this coming, including myself. I only came up with it midway through writing ch. 24 'Secrets'**

 **I hope you liked it!**

 **Also, my updates are going to be a lot less frequent soon because of school and studying, I hope you all understand.**

 **Love,**

 **Indieblue xxx**

 **P.S. I'm so nervous to see what you all think. OMG my heart is beating out of my chest, I'm going to go hide for a while.**


	28. Memories

**To make up for the fact that I haven't really been posting I decided to finish off some small ideas I had and do write enough for a relatively decent sized chapter. I do have exams coming up soon, so I won't be posting much...or at all, which saddens me, but such is life.**

 **I know after the last chapter this one will pale in comparison after the plot twist that I threw your way ;) but I kind of wanted to write some Ginny and Theo fluff even though they aren't even talking right now.**

 **I still stand by my decision that Ginny isn't selfish or unfair. She is doing what she thinks is right, and she doesn't want to endanger Theo and she can't tell him because she knows he won't want her to do it.**

 **Seriously though, I want to thank everyone for their lovely, lovely, lovely reviews on the last chapter. Chic. geek. fangirl. freak... I love you. I do. I'm not entirely sure if I responded to your review or not? If I didn't then I shall look and see and then I will. I mean it when I say ALL of your reviews made me happy as a pig in mud. Kitty Cat your review made me sooo freaking happy as well xxx**

 **This chapter is kind of a filler, but hey, I wanted to write Theo/Ginny fluff and I thought you all would like to see it.**

 **Please leave a review and let me know what you think :)**

 **My tumblr: indiebluecrown. tumblr. com**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's belong to me.**

* * *

"Well look who it is," Ginny smirked, climbing up the Quidditch stands as she made her way towards the Slytherin that was languidly half lying down, one ankle resting on the opposite knee, his left hand resting lazily on his shin.

"You aren't bad you know," Theo said absently, turning his pale blue eyes on her.

"So why are you here watching me randomly practice by myself? Or is it normal for you to be by yourself in the Quidditch stands on a Thursday evening?" Ginny pursed her lips, crossing her arms over her chest. Her long ginger hair was pulled back in a French braid, a few wisps having escaped in the time she had been practicing.

"Not quite sure, Red." Theo said with an impassive expression, Ginny narrowed her eyes at him and he merely smiled at her in a way that she supposed made all the other girls around him swoon. Well that was if they paid nearly as much attention to him as they should. Theo struck her as someone who didn't stand out, despite his good looks and intelligence. Her roommates had only just noticed him a couple months ago.

"How are you Theodore Nott?" Ginny asked, climbing over a row to get to the one he was sitting on; sitting with enough room between them that neither of them would be uncomfortable.

"Shit. How are you Ginevra Weasley?" Theo returned the sentiment with a smug smirk, he saw the tick in her jaw and knew that she wasn't particularly fond of being addressed by her given name.

"Now why is that, Theo?" Ginny tilted her head to the side, crossing over leg over the other, leaning towards the wizard.

"If I told you none of your business?"

"I would tell you that if you didn't want to tell me then you would've lied and just said that everything's fine and dandy," Ginny smirked, sticking her tongue out at him triumphantly for a brief moment.

"Touché," Theo shrugged. "My Father is a homicidal maniac and he expects certain things from me and I'm not quite sure I'll be able to fulfil his requests."

Ginny nodded silently, she understood that she shouldn't prod any further, he most likely wasn't going to relinquish any further information-she was stunned that he had told her anything at all.

"Your turn, Little Red," Theo jerked his chin in her direction, his playful smile returning. She did like that smile, not that she was going to let him know that though.

"I'm fine. There's nothing too exciting going on with me besides studying for OWLs," Ginny grimaced when she recalled her upcoming exams, a sense of impending doom filled her when she thought about how she would have to study late tonight to catch up on the reading for Herbology that she meant to do this morning.

"Right, how is studying for those going?" Theo raised an eyebrow, looking genuinely curious, running a hand backwards through his dark curls. An image of Ginny's much smaller hands diving into those curls and tugging on them as she straddled him flashed through her mind, and she tried to school her expression as her eyes returned to his.

"Better than I had originally anticipated to be honest, it could have something to do with the fact that Hermione shoved all of her study notes and several schedules at me a few months back," Ginny smiled softly, Hermione meant well but sometimes she could go a bit overboard.

"Didn't Granger have a breakdown a few times last year?" Theo drawled, sitting up now, closing some of the distance between them. Ginny noted in the setting sun that he had a small birthmark under his left eye, it looked a lot like an ink blob.

"Hermione was a bit...stressed all of last year," Ginny laughed a little dryly.

"I know, that time she fainted from overexertion…" Theo trailed off, with a slight shake of his head, his lips clamped shut. Pressed into a thin line as he averted his gaze.

"What?"

"Forget it," Theo said a bit colder than Ginny was expecting, but it didn't bother her that much.

"Moving on, I have been having trouble with Potions, Slughorn isn't a bad teacher...it seems like I'm just pants at it," Ginny sighed, Harry had been excelling this year, and only a few select people knew why. She would ask him if he would want to share some of the secrets of the book, but he treasured it a great deal, and she knew he would loathe to part with it even for a moment.

"Can't you ask Potter for help?" Theo asked.

"That's a long story-"

"I could help you, no one could know of course, but if you wanted," Theo offered, Ginny frowned deeply, sitting up straight, flicking her braid over her shoulder as she did.

"Pardon? No one could know?" Ginny repeated with narrowed eyes, "what, you don't want you little Slytherin friends to see us together, or is it because your Father is a Death Eater-"

"Precisely little lion, don't get so offended," Theo scooted closer to her and Ginny's expression only grew more severe. "Yes, you're a Pureblood, but my Father had a particular distaste for Blood Traitors. You would only be in danger if he heard that we were getting on, or even interacting on a whole."

"How would he know that you were talking to me at all?" Ginny asked, the harsh expression softening into a sympathetic one, she uncrossed her arms and let them fall to her sides.

"He has his ways of knowing things," Theo said bitterly, diving into his pocket and pulling out muggle lighter. Ginny was confused as to what he intended to do with it before he popped off the top of the thin, silver cylinder, using his thumb to flick across the lighter. A small orange flame flared to life, and using his free hand he wiggled his fingers, causing the fire to make different shapes. "I use it to help me practice wandless and non-verbal magic," Theo explained after a few moments.

Theo turned his eyes away from the flame, the last bits of light from the setting sun fading away so his lighter was the only source of light around them. The flame flickered in his pale blue eyes, they looked almost haunted, "so what do you say, Red? You want me to help you study?"

Ginny paused to mull things over for a minute, she knew he was intelligent, and despite her initial offense, he was right. Just being seen together would be risky for both of them. Ginny smiled, hell she was all about taking risks, life was more fun that way. "Yes, Theodore Nott, I would very much like it if you bestowed your Potions knowledge upon me...you did get an Outstanding right?"

"Yes, Weasley," Theo rolled his eyes. Ginny decided not to retort or say anything else, settling for a quick nod as she got up. "Where are you going?"

"Back to the castle, I've got work to do and knowing me it'll take a while in the shower, so I best get going," Ginny responded simply, grabbing her wand out of the holster on her leg she pointed it towards the field and said in a small voice, " _Accio Ginny Weasley's broom._ " It was always better to be safe, if she just said the model then there was a chance that any number of brooms could come soaring her way. She smiled, satisfied when her broom came sailing towards her, she stepped to the side and easily caught it with her left hand, securing her wand to her thigh holster afterwards.

"I'll see you soon, Nott." Ginny waved over her shoulder as she threw her leg over her broom. She really didn't know why she took the stairs up into the stands earlier, but she was tired and it would be a lot easier to coast down onto the Quidditch Pitch as opposed to walking down stairs right now.

The ginger haired girl left the dark haired Slytherin sitting there with a small smirk on his face, he glanced at the flames one more time before slicking the lighter lid shut. The darkness engulfing him. Ginevra Weasley was most certainly an interesting character, that he knew for sure.

…

The first time he kissed Ginny Weasley was in a dark alcove on the Fourth floor, she insisted that he didn't have to walk her back to the Gryffindor Tower after they finished up in the Potions classroom for the evening, but Theo was ever the gentleman-when he wasn't swearing that is.

They normally only used the Potions classroom when they were sure no one was around, other times they would find an empty, abandoned classroom and go through Theory behind different ingredients and how they worked. To make a proper potion you needed to understand why cutting gave a different effect than crushing, and to understand the specific properties of any given ingredient was what Theo had told her on several occasions.

Ginny had stopped abruptly and said, "I'm serious, Theo. I'll be fine, it's almost curfew and you're risking been seen with me for no good reason." She disliked how bossy she sounded, but she needed to get her point across.

"Red, I'm walking you up there cause I want to spend some ruddy time with you, is that okay with you?" Theo scowled.

A few moments later their conversation was cut short, they heard voices approaching them from around the corridor. Theo wasted no time grabbing Ginny by her upper arm and ducking into the dark alcove not three feet away from them. Taking out his wand he quickly threw up a _Muffliato_ and a Notice-Me-Not charm.

Ginny was so preoccupied with watching as the two Ravenclaw Sixth Year prefects pass by them, she didn't notice that she was pressed up against Theo. Not until she felt his breath wash over the side of her face. Slowly she turned her face in his direction, angling it upwards. Months of sexual tension having built up, and before she knew what was happening she was wrapping her legs around his hips, her hands were delving into his curls, her back was up against the wall and she was kissing him. Tongues heatedly moving against one another, she squeezed her legs around him tighter, one hand was cupping her arse, the other was on the wall beside them.

When they broke their kiss, Ginny wasn't sure exactly what to say, so she settled for, "finally."

"You've been thinking about kissing me, Red?" Theo grinned broadly, she could barely make out the outline of his face, but she could see just how _smug_ he looked.

"Kissing and a few other things," Ginny responded honestly, tugging on his curls lightly. She had been right, it was fun.

"Is that so?"

"Fuck yes," Ginny moaned lightly when Theo's head moved to kiss the side of her neck, she leaned it to other way to give him better access.

"Language, Missy."

"This coming from the one who curses every other sentence?" Ginny slid her fingers out of his hair to grasp his face and look in his eyes.

"What can I say-"

…

"Ginny, Ginny, Ginny!" A deep voice was calling her name, and she groggily roused from her sleep. Coming face to face with Harry Potter himself.

"Harry? What is it?" Ginny croaked out, her voice heady with sleep.

Harry was sitting sideways on her bed, right leg bent and half on the bed, his right arm on the other side of her propping him up, his left hand on her shoulder. Ginny made an incoherent noise before turning on her side and curling around his arm. _It was just a dream,_ Ginny thought morosely to herself. _Only a dream...a memory of something that once was._

"Draco has a better idea about how to get us into the Manor without alerting anyone, he wants to go through it before we do this mission tonight. He wants to make sure we know what we're going to be doing," Harry explained.

"Okay, I'll be there shortly," Ginny yawned, stretching her arms above her head as far as they would let her, her legs splayed like a starfish as she continued to stretch.

"Cool, Fleur made Breakfast...Hermione tried, but it didn't go so well. I love her, but she's a bit of a menace in the kitchen," Harry said fondly, stroking Ginny's cheek briefly before standing up. Ginny grabbed his hand as he turned to leave, stopping him in his tracks.

"Are we doing the right thing, Harry?"

"I can feel them...the horcruxes, but it's never concrete and if we can find out exactly where all of them are, then it's worth the risk," Harry responded, not looking at her. "I'm not sure if it's the right thing, but we need to try."

"Draco still hasn't told Hermione has he?"

"No, as far as she knows, we aren't going anywhere later."

"Okay, I'll be down in a minute, love. Is Luna still hell bent on coming with us?" Ginny frowned, her best friend had been very adamant in her involvement. She was the best one when it came to healing magic aside from Draco, so she insisted that she stay with Gwen and Charlie on the edge of the Forest outside of Malfoy Manor; Draco, Ginny and Harry were going to go inside but Gwen and Charlie were coming along as backup in case things went sideways. Which there was a high possibility that they would.

"I managed to convince her that the less people that go the better. I would prefer if it was just the three of us, but Charlie and Gwen coming along as backup can't hurt," Harry angled his head in her direction finally, she could see how weary he was in his bright green eyes. He had to carry a heavy burden on his shoulder for a very, very long time and she hated that he thought it was his and his alone to carry.

"HARRY!" They heard Hermione's voice carry from the staircase, and they knew that the sooner he went to find out what the brunette wanted, the better.

"Go, I'll be down in a minute," Ginny smiled, throwing her sheets back and sitting up, slowly swinging her legs out of bed.

Harry nodded before striding out of the room she shared with Ron, when he was here that was, he still hadn't returned from Aunt Muriel's. Molly was probably prolonging his stay as long as she could, before he left to go 'gallivanting off to do who knows what, getting into all kinds of trouble," as she so eloquently put it.

Ginny took a deep breath as she stood up, using a hand to ruffle her short locks, they had started to grow out again and she wasn't sure if she wanted to cut her hair again or not. _Today is the day,_ Ginny thought with a sinking feeling in her gut. She kept thinking she should go to Nott Cottage and tell Theo what she was doing before she went through with this, but she couldn't. She knew once she did then she wouldn't be able to go. Plus they were fighting, at least she thought they were fighting seeing as the last real interaction they had as she had been fleeing the castle was not what one would call pleasant.

No. She had to do this, they needed to figure out where the other horcruxes were so they could win this war. She wasn't being selfish or unfair. Yes, she was keeping secrets from him, but it wasn't for a malicious reason. She was trying to do the right thing. Desperately trying to do what she could to help, to do her part in defeating _him._

Ginny clenched her fists and squared her jaw. _I can do this, we can do this. We will do this._ They had to, the fate of everyone was on the line. This was bigger than her, or her and Theo, so much bigger. She just hoped that he would be able to forgive her when it was all over. She wouldn't be able to bear it if he didn't.

* * *

 **I hope you liked that! The next chapter whenever I can get it done or posted will be where things pick up again.**

 **I know there may be a few spelling/ grammatical errors here and there, and I'm sorry about that. I'll fix them when I can.**

 **Love you,**

 **Indieblue xxx**


	29. The Mind is a Tricky Thing

**HEY! I'm kind of back! Uploads still won't be as frequent yet as I have a few exams still, but they are fairly spaced out and I really wanted to post this today!**

 **I'm a little nervous about this chapter, but please leave me a review and let me know what you think! :)**

 **Sidenote- FTT has surpassed 600 followers, which is absolutely mental. Not going to lie. I'm still reeling from shock a little bit.**

 **Okay, warning, this chapter is not exactly gruesome, but it's certainly not pleasant and I want you all to keep that in mind before proceeding. It's a bit graphic for sure. I'm also incredibly sorry. Very, very sorry.**

 **My tumblr: indiebluecrown. tumblr. com (Feel free to send me all the asks loves :P)**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's belong to me.**

* * *

Cold. Despite the fact that it was Spring time, the air was frigid, the wind was howling harshly, the sky was venomously dark and stormy.

On the edge of the forest-where the trees were still thick enough so that most of what lay inside would be hidden-a large crack rebounded throughout the air, a group of five standing there gravely from the source of the noise, having appeared out of thin air. The forest itself was dead silent, eerily so.

The blonde was panting slightly, having side-along apparated the others into the forest.

"Draco, you okay?" The redhead whispered in concern, eyes turning towards the large house that was peeking out above the massive hedges that surrounded the property.

"I'm fine, Red," Draco insisted through clenched teeth, back slightly hunched as he tried to catch his breath.

"Harry, you stay here with Gwen and Charlie," Ginny said in hushed tones, "Draco and I-"

"That's not the plan and you know it," Harry hissed at her, bright green eyes flashing defiantly.

"He's right, Red, now get under that cloak with Potty," Draco drawled, gesturing at the cloak thrown across her forearm.

Ginny threw him a dirty look, but complied nonetheless. Her heart was racing so fast she swore she could hear her own blood pumping in her ears, a cold bit of sweat was gathering on her upper lip. They could still turn back, it wasn't too late, she told herself. Ginny then looked at the people around her, friends, _family._ No. There was no turning back now.

Harry and Ginny disappeared under the cloak, and Draco held out his hand until he felt something pressed up against it. Taking a deep breath, he apparated again. Leaving Gwen and Charlie by themselves.

"Do you think this is a horribly misguided plan?" Gwen whispered to Charlie, who merely wrapped his arms around her from behind, pressing a kiss to the side of her neck before resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Perhaps, but Gin is one stubborn witch, once she decided that she was going to do this, there was no changing her mind."

"Now we wait?" Gwen asked.

"Now we wait."

….

Draco apparated them into one of the rooms that no one frequented on a normal basis, thankful that that hadn't changed since the Malfoys had abandoned the Manor and officially defected.

"Right. I'll be waiting here, remember what I told you about _his_ room and how to get there."

Draco heard a soft sigh, and smirked, "this was your plan, Red. Try not to screw it up. You and Teddy need to stay alive and be obnoxiously in love and have stubborn, reckless, brilliant little children that will wreak havoc on their teachers."

"Love you too, Dray," Ginny's disembodied voice said, and he could almost picture her smiling.

"See you soon, Malfoy," Harry's voice added.

"Don't die, Potter. As much as it grieves me to say this...we need you," Draco's reluctance to say the last bit was evident in his tone.

"See you soon."

All Draco was left to do now was place a Disillusionment charm on himself and pray that until they got back-which they had to-that no one would try and enter this room. Harry and Ginny needed him to get past the blood Wards that prevented just anyone from apparating in and out of the Manor. _Don't die, Red,_ Draco thought, hoping that this hadn't been a grave mistake.

…..

It wasn't as cramped under the cloak as Harry had thought it was going to be, but that didn't change the fact that his breathing felt restricted and he felt claustrophobic. A sharp, stabbing pain was shooting through his scar the close they got to their destination, a strange, prickling sensation running over his skin.

Ginny however was nervous for another reason. She wasn't sure if she could do this, she was beginning to doubt just _how_ good a Legilimens she really was with every step they took-each feeling more final as they went, as if their fate was already sealed. She was essentially delivering Harry to _him_ on a silver platter. She might as well have tied a pretty green bow on him and doused Harry in silver glitter.

As if sensing her anxiety, Harry reached out and grasped her hand in his. The warmth that flowed from it was comforting, and slowly helped unravel the tight knot in her stomach and ease her frayed nerves.

The only reason Harry was there at all was because of his connection with Voldemort, he would be able to lead them in the right direction. She could only hope that Draco's lessons in Occlumency whilst they had both been at Shell Cottage together paid off.

Their progress down the hallway was torturously slow. They knew that for the most part, the Death Eaters stayed away from this section of the Manor since Voldemort had requested that this wing be for him and him alone.

They passed a group of Death Eaters gathered around a large, round table to their left at one point. Their voices were hushed, probably trying not to disturb their Lord.

Ginny recognised one of them as one of Theodus' men, and her mind instantly flashed to Theo. She gritted her teeth, and shook her head. Trying not to think about him, not now. She would be able to think about him all she wanted later. Right now she had to focus.

They came to a large set of double doors on their left at some point. Ornate slabs of silver surrounded the door knobs of the dark wood doors. _How the fuck do we get in?_

They waited for a several, tension filled moments. No idea how to get in.

Risking opening the door themselves was foolhardy and they would get caught in a matter of moments.

In a dumb stroke of luck-so much so that Ginny couldn't believe it actually happened- a tall man that looked scarily like Theo opened the door. She was standing face to face with Theodus Nott.

His face was filled with morbid glee, whatever had happened behind those closed doors was obviously good for him. A few other men she didn't recognise followed him out. Harry tugged her into him, and out of the men's way. She had been rooted to the spot. Frozen after looking into Theodus' cold, inhospitable eyes.

The door was left ajar as the men boisterously made their way down the Hall. Theodus barking out, "shut it!" After a few moments. The men fell silent in a heartbeat.

Ginny cautiously entered the room, from the cold sweat Harry had broken into, and the way his hand trembled against her hip- which his fingers were digging into, most likely unwittingly-she knew they were in the right place.

There he was. The one who had caused a great deal of pain and suffering. _Hasn't fucking got a nose though has he?_

His arms were crossed, black robes gathering around his elbows and hanging down, getting lost in the rest of the black fabric that covered the rest of him. Slowly he turned his red eyes away from them and out the window.

 _This is a shit plan. He's been doing this for decades, I barely..._ Ginny stopped panicking the moment he turned back around. Light footsteps moved across the floorboards behind them. She was ever so glad that she had thought to put a silencing charm on their own feet.

"Yes, Macnair?" Voldemort rasped. Ginny's eyes met the blood red ones that were looking straight through her and Harry, not missing the fine, almost attractive features of the man-could he still be called that-in front of her. His face was too thin, too sharp now, the ghost of what it used to be left behind.

Ginny swallowed thickly, it was now or never.

It wasn't pleasant, but she was sucked into his mind. It was confusing, unlike anything she'd experienced before. His mind was tainted by all the dark magic he had dabbled in, making it a morbid place. Visions of bloodied people, flashes of green light, of screams, images that she wished were not burned into her brain.

On the outside, Harry guessed from the fact that Ginny had stiffened completely that she was inside _his_ head. The Dark Lord however did not seem to notice a thing, discussing something with Macnair. Harry was trying desperately not to cry out in pain, otherwise he would have tried to pay better attention. Macnair walked to the right of them, tossing a silver dagger into the air and catching it by its' hilt.

Ginny however was having trouble, she wasn't finding anything. She stopped, breathed in deeply and tried to center herself. _Don't panic when you're in someone's mind. You need to coax the information out,_ Theo's voice rang out in her head from their Legilimency sessions from what felt like ages ago now.

It was like sifting through files upon files, looking for a single piece of parchment, until she got what she came for.

A bang from down the Hallway distracted her, but thankfully she didn't wrench herself from the Dark Lord's mind, instead she carefully extracted herself, being as delicate as she could.

She turned in Harry's arms, but as she did, she felt woozy and she collapsed into his arms, it all fading away.

…..

As soon as Ginny fainted, Harry knew he needed to get out of there, hurrying as best as he could out of there. Macnair and Voldemort seemed to be none the wiser that anything was amiss, though the latter had taken on a slight frown.

All he needed to do was to get Ginny down the corridor and back into the room with Draco. He got twenty feet, passed by the room with all the Death Eaters in it, but what he didn't realise was that the cloak had lifted slightly and the back of his leg was exposed.

That was, not until a Death Eater exited the room and turned down the Hall, and spotted it. "Oi! Lads! There's someone running down the corridor!"

He had a headstart, and now that his presence was revealed the cloak was only getting in the way. He flung it off, throwing it over his shoulder. Grabbing his wand out of his back pocket.

Harry threw Ginny's limp body over his shoulder, the cloak trapped between her body and his shoulder. He tried his best to run as fast as he could. The voices were getting louder, the footsteps thunderous. If they caught them then it would all be over, and they would both be dead.

Harry clenched his hand around his wand, not paying much mind to his surroundings, eyes missing all the watchful eyes of Malfoys through the ages. All of the paintings curiously turning their heads as he sprinted past them.

The footsteps were getting closer, closer still. They were almost there. In a panic, Harry half twisted around to look behind him-catching a glimpse of the men that had just rounded the corner of the long hallway. Harry did the only thing he could think of, " _Reducto!_ " Harry yelled, flicking his wand at the ceiling. Not entirely sure what he expected to happen, but thankfully, the floor broke away and whatever furniture had been in the room above, fell and crashed violently into the corridor behind him; hopefully slowing down their pursuers.

Harry spotted the door not three feet ahead of them, and he burst inside. Not expecting to see what he did.

Bellatrix was standing there, hand thrust into Draco's hair from behind, a sharp, cursed blade against his throat.

"Well well well, isn't it, little Potty Wotty," Bellatrix cackled. "You aren't getting away this time."

Harry raised his wand hand in surrender, gently putting Ginny down slowly, eyes never leaving the witch in front of him. Draco's eyes were burning with hatred, and he was trying to say something to Harry, but only had eyes from the deranged woman in front of him.

"What happened to the little Weasley cunt?" Bellatrix purred, and in one swift movement, she let go of Draco's hair, hand moving until it grasped her wand. Without any warning she hissed, " _Crucio!_ " Her wand was directly pointed at Ginny, and the ginger haired girl's eyes popped open, mouth open as she began to scream, twisting on her side until her eyes met her attacker.

Draco growled, trying to fight against his Aunt, who only pressed the knife in a bit deeper, the sharp jagged edge caused small cuts to appear on his throat as he struggled, not even noticing as the thin beads of blood started to gather.

Harry's blood froze as he heard the voices down the corridor, shouting as they sounded like they figured out some way to get past their obstacle. " _Blast it to smithereens you prick!_ " Then, as if things couldn't get any worse, his scar was now on fire, acid felt like it was being poured into his head as the pain intensified, bringing him to his knees as he held his face, wand still in hand.

Then. The screams stopped. Harry wasn't even able to see what was happening, as his eyes were only open a fraction of an inch, everything was blurry and he heard a loud _thud._

Across the room, Draco was staring, shocked as Bellatrix let go of him, knife slipping from her hand and clattering onto the wooden floor-not before nicking the side of his neck where a tiny slit was now trickling with blood from the wound. Potter was almost curled into a ball of the floor, writhing in agony. Whereas Ginny, her whole body shaking, stumbled until she stood up, panting heavily. Trained on Bellatrix's body. The wild haired woman's eyes were staring listlessly at the ceiling.

"We...need...to...leave...Draco," Ginny managed to get out, breathing still haggard as she stood on shaky legs, hugging herself, the cloak draped across her.

Draco snapped out of his daze, hurrying across to Ginny, half picking her up as he moved towards Harry. Reaching down to touch the boy and without a moment's hesitation, disapparated.

They barely managed to catch their breath before they landed by Charlie and Gwen; their eyes widening.

"Grab ahold, for fuck's sake!" Draco commanded. Both of them dove forward and did just that. A breath later Draco had disapparated again.

…

"HOW IN MERLIN'S NAME DID YOU THINK IT WOULD BE ALRIGHT TO BLOODY DO SOMETHING SO RECKLESS?" Hermione screamed at Draco and Harry. The former was being attended to by Luna. The boys were sitting down at the kitchen table, and Draco winced when Luna wiped a cool cloth against the cuts on his neck.

She had whipped up some mixture as soon as she saw him, after letting Charlie run into the house, little sister in his arms as he rushed upstairs-almost knocking Hermione over in the process. Gwen was left to help Harry and Draco into the house, the former falling into his girlfriend's arms when she saw him shaking.

"It wasn't the best plan," Draco admitted, flinching when Hermione turned her furious gaze onto him. Her hair sparking. They all flinched harshly when she picked up a vase that was on the kitchen counter and hurled it at the wall. Luna silently threw up a _Protego_ so a stray shard didn't hit anyone.

"Did it even work, or was it all for nothing?" Hermione asked, her tone deceivingly calm.

No one knew what to say since the only person who could answer that was upstairs being tended to by her older brothers and Fleur.

"This should help with the scarring but you know since it was a cursed blade…" Luna trailed off, big, silvery blue eyes locked on Draco's grey ones as she continued to clean the wound with the same cloth. Dipping it into the mixture that was in a silver bowl on the kitchen table, and then wringing it out before she did every time.

"I know," Draco sighed, smiling weakly at the blonde girl-who touched his cheek softly in an attempt to comfort him.

"We just have to wait Mione. We won't know till Ginny wakes up," Harry said quietly, cowing his head. Gwen had taken it upon herself to check him over, but was now merely holding his hand as his body kept spasming. Luna said that it would wear off soon. It was from whatever potent feelings Voldemort had gone through when he discovered Harry was in the Manor.

"What happened?" Hermione pressed, squatting down so that she was in front of Harry, her hands on his knees. Trying to calm down as she did.

Harry opened his mouth to speak when the kitchen door flew open. Ron was standing there, looking completely relaxed until he noticed the discarded bloody rags that Luna had used, the cloth that was currently in her hand dabbing at Draco's neck. Harry's shaking, not to mention the cut on his head.

"Bloody hell, I leave for a couple days and everything goes to shit. What happened?" Ron said worriedly, stepping inside and putting his hand on Draco's shoulder for a brief moment before moving to look at Harry. Standing directly behind Hermione, he leaned in slightly to get a better look at Harry's forehead.

Gwen was sitting cross-legged on the floor, back against Harry's chair, looking through the doorway that led to the rest of the house, nervously chewing on her lip. She stiffened momentarily when Ron's hand came to rest on hers, but relaxed after a few deep breaths.

"They did something entirely reckless and stupid, they went to Malfoy Manor, and Ginny had the genius idea to use Legilimens on You-Know-Who to find out where the remaining horcruxes were," Hermione explained in a clipped tone.

"That's mental that is," Ron said with wide eyes, squeezing Gwen and Harry's linked hands, "and bloody brilliant."

"Ronald!" Hermione protested, twisting to look at him, but coming face first with his upper thighs. With a light grumble she turned back around, looking up at Harry once more.

Suddenly Gwen let go of Harry's hand, at the same time Draco's head snapped in the direction of the bedrooms. "She's awake," they both said simultaneously.

"She's groggy, but she sounds like she's talking," Draco continued. Luna gave him a disapproving look, but he got up and soon they were all hastily making their way through the house and then upstairs. Draco was the one to throw open the door.

Fleur was sitting in the armchair in the corner, twisted to the side, legs tucked to her tummy. Face resting in her hand that was on the arm of the chair. Bill was sitting at the bottom of Ginny's bed, looking antsy, and ready to spring up if needed. Charlie was hunched over as he helped Ginny sit up, making sure that she was properly supported by the pillows behind her back before he stepped away.

Ginny's head lazily turned towards Harry. Blue eyes staring deeply into the bright green ones. Her mouth opened, but nothing coherent came out of it. Only a few raspy sounds. Her brow twitched, but that was the only facial movement she made.

"What's going on?" Hermione whispered, a horrified look on her face as her hands moved to cover her mouth. Stepping into Draco's side when she noticed how broken he looked, wrapping her arms tightly around him, as a single tear ran down his face.

"It's because she was crucio'd after having exerted herself mentally so much when she delved into _his_ brain," Luna said softly, moving past everyone in the doorway, so that she was standing in the middle of the room.

"Is...is she going to stay like this?" Ron asked shakily, horror splayed across his face as he went pale.

Luna however, for once did not have an answer. She turned to look at Harry, but when she did she saw the vacant look in his eyes and said, "perhaps she has other ways of communicating."

"Luna are you barmy? How exactly is she-" Ron started, but Luna pointed silently at Harry.

…

Bright. Everything was horridly bright. Harry squinted to open up his eyes and when he did he saw a shock of ginger hair against the white background, surrounding a familiar face.

"Ginny?" Harry asked, pinching the bridge of his nose as he sat up. She was dressed quite simply, though not in much at all. In a plain white dress, that had a round neckline, thin straps and came to just below her bum-and guessing from how see through the material was, she didn't have on a bra, though thankfully she seemed to have on a plain white panty.

"Harry. Shit, I'm glad this actually fucking worked," Ginny smiled as she extended her hand in an offer to help him up. Gratefully he took it and noticed that he was in a cream loose shirt, and white slacks. Neither of them were wearing any shoes.

"That what worked? Where are we, Gin?" Harry frowned deeply, looking around at what seemed to be a complete blank landscape, not sound other than his and Ginny's voices.

"My mind, in a space I created for us to talk properly," Ginny smiled sadly. _Is that even possible?_ Harry wondered.

"Why can't we talk normally, Gin?" Harry asked, stepping towards her in concern, and she let him wrap his arms around her.

She felt warm, and _real_. Which made this even more bizarre. Her smaller hands moved to rub his back in soothing circles.

"Harry," Ginny said, and he pulled back enough to look in her eyes. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. What's important is that you destroy the rest of the horcruxes," her tone turned serious in a split second.

"You found out where they are?" Harry asked in surprise, hope flooding his body instantly, gushing and rapidly spreading throughout him.

"Yes, I did," Ginny nodded grimly. "What worries me is that you said there were seven, but _he_ only knows about six...Harry, are you sure Dumbledore was right? Maybe Riddle didn't get a chance to make a Seventh," Ginny said, brow knitted together with pursed lips.

"I'm positive...I don't know, I guess maybe you're right," Harry said after a long moment, _Dumbledore was adamant that there were seven,_ he added silently to himself.

"He may not have known that I was in his mind, but he does know that we were there for a reason. He isn't stupid. He's going to know something is amiss, Harry," Ginny said firmly. "I saw a glimpse of something, the wand is fighting him Harry-"

"I know," Harry cut her off, a grim look in his eyes, his suspicions confirmed in that moment.

"Is that so?" Ginny narrowed her eyes and quirked an eyebrow, after taking in a long, deep breath she sighed heavily. "I don't know how long I'm going to be stuck like this...so can you do me a favour?"

"Course, anything," Harry answered immediately, squeezing her lightly.

Ginny was quiet for a painful long minute, before saying, "tell Draco it wasn't his fault. I made a choice. Tell him that he's not to blame, I need him to know that. The wanker will probably say that he could've done something. He couldn't have."

"There's something else," Harry said upon seeing her hesitant expression, nibbling on her bottom lip.

"Tell Draco to get Theo...and to tell Theo that I love him. That I'll come back to him...that none of this is his fault. I needed to do this," Ginny looked up at him with fire in her eyes, mouth set in a determined line.

"I will, Gin," Harry promised, he let go of her, but before he left or she threw him out. He had no idea how any of this was happening right now-he had a question to ask her.

"What happened with Bellatrix Ginny?" Harry asked, taking slow steps away from the irate looking girl. He wasn't sure why, he just felt she needed her space.

"I didn't kill her," Ginny said flippantly. "I barely had any strength left in me...that's how I ended up like this." Her voice dropped when she said the last bit, almost in a mocking tone, the right corner of her mouth turned up. "She'll probably wake up in a few hours. I have no idea what I actually did, but I knocked her out. If I damaged anything on my way in or out I have no idea."

"So she's alive?"

"I should've killed her." Ginny said darkly, her hair floating upwards until it sparked and wove through the air around her head as though it had a life of her own. "I'll see you later, Harry. Say hello to everyone for me. Oh, and tell Blaise to drink some water."

The last thing Harry saw was Ginny's gently smiling face, and he swore-maybe it was a trick of the bright light around them- that he saw tears travelling down her cheeks. Everything went out of focus, the edges were blurred and then it all faded to black.

* * *

 **I'm sorry.**

 **Indieblue xxx**


	30. Theo Goes to Shell Cottage

**What's this? Me, updating twice in about as many days? Look at that.**

 **Okay, so the last chapter may have broken everyone's hearts a little bit with what happened to Ginny at the Manor. I promise that we can set that wretched place on fire together.**

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 **Most of the people that normally read this haven't reviewed or messaged me to let me know what they thought, so I'm just going to assume they haven't read the last chapter. Which I guess means they have at least 10k+ words of reading :P that's a good thing for them, right?**

 **sunset oasis : I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter! I hope she will be as well *hearts***

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 **For Kitty Cat and Anna Bear xxx**

* * *

"You sure this thing isn't going to go off as soon as you light it?" Neville hissed at Seamus under his breath, the Irish boy looked at Neville with pursed lips and raised eyebrows.

"Yes, mate. I'm sure," Seamus whispered back harshly, putting down his homemade bomb on top of the pristine desk, the papers all stacked neatly on the right hand side, the quills lined off in order of smallest to largest.

Neville and Seamus, after hearing from Blaise what had happened to Ginny with Alecto, decided that they weren't going to sit back and do nothing. A head on attack at this current moment would only be foolish, and both wizards knew it. Which is how they ended up here, after curfew, when Alecto was elsewhere in the castle. By Neville's reckoning she was carrying out detention under Amycus's watchful eye. None of them could be sure, but since the incident had occurred Alecto was more subdued, whereas Amycus was stern and harsh.

 _It had taken longer than they had anticipated to get from the Room of Requirement all the way to the Muggle Studies classroom-the Dementors were allowed to roam freely throughout the castle hallways after curfew now; something that Minerva had fought against until the very last minute. The Head of each house, in their own small way of rebelling, cast a Patronus charm every night; leaving the corporeal form sitting outside of their Common Rooms as to further protect their wards._

 _Tonight the Dementors had clustered together on the second floor. Especially around the corridor they needed to travel down to get to Alecto's office._

 _"Shit," Seamus swore under his breath, eyebrows scrunched together as he stared around the corner, concerned, at the hooded figures floating around seemingly aimlessly in front of them. Seamus shuddered as he felt the cold seeping down the corridor, Neville grimaced when he saw their long, spindly fingers move._

 _"We're going to have to cast a Patronus," Neville hissed. Seamus shook his head violently at the notion, face contorted in a deep frown._

 _"It's too risky, mate. We told Zabini that if we ran into any major complications then we'd come straight back and try again."_

 _"Seamus. That monster of a woman has been torturing us for months, she almost raped Ginny. She attempted to do the same to me if it hadn't been for her brother. Who is just as bad in my books since he essentially enables her wretched behaviour. I'm not going to sit around and take it anymore. We need to start doing something. We need to do this, and we need to let them know that we mean business. They fucked with the wrong students, and they are going to pay for it, one way or another." Neville spoke in a firm tone under his breath, Seamus saw in it then. The fierce determination, the unbreakable resolve, and he knew. Neville was right. They had to let them know that they couldn't get away with it, that they would not be cowed or beaten into subservience._

 _Neville didn't waste another moment, standing tall, head raised, he aimed his wand at the Dementors and quietly, so quietly Seamus wasn't sure he had heard anything at all, said, "expecto patronum."_

 _A bobcat sprung out of Neville's wand, paws hitting the air as it bounded towards the Dementors. It's maw opened and it bared its' teeth, stalking towards the Dementors as it neared them. The Dementors moved backwards down the corridor. Neville walked forward, Seamus quickly moving to his right side. The door they wanted was on their right, Neville smirked as he left the bobcat guarding the door, a quick Alohomora allowing them access to the room. Alecto probably thought that no one would have the balls to break into her office with the Dementors guarding the corridors, deciding not to use stronger measures to safeguard her office and classroom._

Which is how they had gotten to this point, the boys checked to make sure they hadn't left anything behind, and they carefully crept out of the office. Neville's bobcat was still in front of the Dementors, teeth bared, claws extended.

"We need to get back to the Room," Neville hissed, and Seamus nodded sharply.

It wasn't easy getting back, they had to avoid Alecto and Amycus after they had finished up with their detention. Neville pulled Seamus into a dark alcove as the twins languidly walked past them. Alecto simply looked tired, her robes were pulled tightly around her, and she was wearing flats for once. Amycus's back was extremely stiff as he walked a step behind her at her side.

"Stop worrying," Alecto muttered in a weary tone, halting abruptly.

"I will when you talk about what happened with the girl," Amycus said in a controlled tone-from Neville and Seamus's position, they could peek around the corner and not be seen. Neville saw Amycus's knuckles turn white as he clenched his fists, hands behind his back.

"I don't want to-"

"Just like how you didn't want to talk about Longbottom?" Amycus snarled nastily, leering at his twin as he bent slightly at the middle, his face extremely close to her cheek; Alecto however didn't budge an inch, her entire body stiffening.

Seamus lightly hit Neville's arm and the brown haired boy looked over his shoulder at his friend, who was frowning. Neville shrugged, he had no idea either. They both turned back to look at the twins.

"Precious Frank Longbottom," Neville tensed at the mention of his Father, "how you loved him from afar. Then he broke your heart when he started dating that wench." Seamus put a warning hand on Neville's arm, and he looked down to see that he had pulled out his wand. They couldn't afford to get into an altercation right now. Not yet.

"Shut up," Alecto muttered.

"Why? It's true. It was almost painful to watch, how you simpered after him, trying to get his attention. Pulling nasty little pranks until finally you went too far and he ended up _hating_ -"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Alecto screamed, whirling around on her brother, hand raised to strike him, but he caught her wrist in his hand.

"Tell me what happened with the girl," Amycus said coldly this time.

"Fuck off," Alecto spat, wrenching her hand free from his grasp, sharply turning away and she stormed down the corridor. Amycus made a noise at the back of his throat before he followed.

"The fuck was that, mate?" Seamus asked, voice a harsh whisper.

"Apparently Alecto was in love with my Dad in some twisted way," Neville grimaced, "let's go."

The two Wizards made their way back to the Room of Requirement. Neville's bobcat had faded away by the time they reached the Sixth Floor, and Amycus and Alecto had just reached her office, the door was open, and she swore she had locked it-when a large _boom!_ erupted, throwing them both to the ground. Causing their ears to ring. The students meant business, and they wanted them to know that they weren't messing about. Alecto squinted through blurry eyes, into the flames and destruction that lay before her. The damage was mainly contained to her office, and in bright green letters, on the wall above her office were the words, " _we will not be silenced."_

…

Theo tapped his fingers impatiently on the wooden surface of the table his hand was resting on.

Gwen had come home after being at Shell Cottage for three days. Whatever she and Charlie had been doing there, she definitely wasn't happy. The grim expression on her pretty face had not eased his nerves in the slightest. Gwen and Blaise were in her room, for once when she was here, the door was closed. She had glanced over her shoulder, icy blue eyes swimming with emotions he couldn't quite discern.

They had been in there for fifteen minutes, and one of them, most likely Blaise-Gwen was still a bit shaky when it came to using a wand, though she was getting increasingly better every day-had thrown up silencing charms.

He was going insane, with no idea what to do with himself. Which is why he sat at the kitchen table, eyes locked on the closed door across the house, ears listening as time passed.

Charlie hadn't come back, he was still at Shell Cottage.

It didn't help that they had heard yesterday that Harry Potter had been at Malfoy Manor, as well as an unidentified female, and perhaps others. Bellatrix had been found, knocked out on the floor not to far away from where they had been spotted. She was currently in and out of consciousness. Sleeping for long stretches of time.

The door creaked and he raised his eyebrows as his sister opened the door. Blaise following close behind her, face as serious as a grave, looking like he desperately needed a drink or to sit down.

"Theo. Mate, we need to talk," Blaise said reticently, walking up to his brother in every way but blood.

"Little brother...I think it's best if we just show you," Gwen said softly, padding over to him, kneeling beside him and grasping his free hand that had previously rested on his thigh.

Blaise frowned at Gwen, but after a moment of contemplation he nodded curtly. Thrusting his hands gruffly into his trouser pockets. Today he was wearing black slacks, a light grey button down shirt that had the sleeves rolled up and a pair of dragonhide shoes. Gwen was wearing a pair of black leggings, a plum bodice with black ribbon lacing up the back, black flats on her feet.

Theo was wearing a similar outfit to Blaise with the exception that he was wearing a plain white shirt and a blue black blazer over it.

"It has to do with Red, doesn't it?" Theo asked in a calm tone, he was anything but, but he had to maintain a calm facade.

"Theo…" Gwen tried gently, but she saw the expression he was wearing, and she reached up with her slender fingers, brushing them against his cheek softly. "It's hard to explain, it would be better if you at least saw her first."

The tension was palpable in the room as they waited for Theo to say or do something, finally he gave them a short, sharp nod. Gwen tried to smile, but it came out as more of grimace.

"Let's go then."

It took them about twenty minutes to get to Shell Cottage, Gwen tried to explain as delicately as she could what had happened without outraging Theo. Blaise had apparently already gotten out all his anger-the proof was Gwen's destroyed bedroom. Theo's expression was impassive the whole time, the only thing that gave away even an ounce of what he was really feeling was his eyes. A storm was raging in them. Gwen hadn't gotten to what had actually happened to Ginny, nor had she been able to tell him that the mission was a success. Harry had come out of Ginny's mind and even though they hadn't actually discussed it, she had managed to share the information with him.

Which is why when they arrived at Shell Cottage, Theo stormed into the house. Not even stopping to acknowledge anyone's presence, not even Draco's.

His heavy footsteps as he stomped up the staircase like a petulant child that had been sent to their room rebounded throughout the house.

He swung open bedroom door one after the next, vision blurred by red. Draco had hurried after him, Blaise not two steps behind his blonde friend.

Theo threw open Ginny's bedroom door, immediately locking his eyes on the far right hand side of the room. Fleur was sitting behind her, holding Ginny and singing softly in her Mother tongue-it sounded like a lullaby. Ginny's head was turned towards the window. Fleur saw him, but didn't stop singing, stroking Ginny's short hair and rocking the girl back and forth.

Theo marched to the side of the bed, confusion spilling into his anger. Ginny hadn't even turned her head towards the noise. She was practically lifeless as she leaned against the older witch's chest.

Fleur's voice got softer and softer, repeating the same phrase thrice; when she was done, the song petered off and she rubbed her hand up and down Ginny's upper arm with the hand that wasn't still threaded into her hair.

"Un moment, mon chou, je reviendrai," Fleur said to Ginny, gently extracting herself from the younger girl, grabbing an extra pillow and propping it behind Ginny's back.

Theo frowned not quite understanding what was going on. Fleur gruffly grabbed his upper arm, and with her other hand she gestured for Draco and Blaise to get lost. The pretty blonde was not happy.

Fleur pulled in the door, and she whirled around on Theo, "what ar' you doing?" Fleur demanded, hands on her hips. " Zee 'ast zing she needs is 'oud noises!"

"Pardon?"

It was at that moment that Fleur noticed the openly displayed confusion spread across his face like melted butter.

"You 'on't know."

Fleur gave him a sympathetic look, and patted his hand, "just be quiet."

Theo's head was starting to hurt a little, he could practically hear himself think as he turned back towards the closed door. Cautiously this time he approached the door, hand trembling as he felt the cool metal against his palm. _One, two, three_. He twisted the doorknob, and entered the room. This time with much less commotion that he had previously, silently he shut the door back beside him.

"Red?" Theo tried softly, but to no avail, the motionless girl on the bed didn't react in the slightest. The sheets were pulled up to her midsection, hands resting on top, one on the other right over her belly button. The window was cracked just enough to let some of the salty sea breeze in, but not too much. A few of Ginny's hairs were blowing gently in the breeze, but that was the only part of her that was moving.

Theo felt a sharp pain in his heart, his foot falls almost noiseless as he crept forward; unsure as to what he was so hesitant about. This was Ginny. Sure they had a row, and she ran away to do what she thought was best. His petty, groundless jealousy of Potter had all but dissipated.

They fought sometimes, violently, but they loved violently too. Nothing could stand in their way once they were together. She was his firebreathing ginger and he her deadly snake.

Each step seemed to take a lifetime. He half expected her to turn her head at any moment and grin broadly at him. To say something snarky, wiggle her eyebrows and tell him there was plenty of room in her bed for two.

 _"What did I do to deserve you?" Theo whispered, tucking Ginny's hair behind her ear as they lay in bed, facing each other, legs intertwined._

 _"I should be asking the same thing you lovely twat," Ginny stuck her tongue out at him._

 _"Is that term supposed to be endearing, Ginevra?" Theo smirked when the corners of her lips turned downwards when he called her given name._

 _"But of course, Theodore," Ginny sniffed, scooting in closer to him. "I love you and you're my lovely twat."_

 _"You're ridiculous," Theo's laugh was deep and came straight from his gut._

 _"I'm brilliant," Ginny grinned. "Now come here my lovely twat, you have a delightful mouth and it's much too far away."_

 _"Such a sap," Theo rolled his eyes, but complied nonetheless, leaning in with his eyes closed. What he did not expect was for Ginny to lick from the bottom of his chin until she got to his nose-which is where she reached before he pulled away sharply._

 _"You licked me," Theo said in shock._

 _Ginny shrugged, gasping for breath when he began to tickle her sides as revenge, she squirmed in his arms. Face alight with laughter, cheeks rosy and the freckles spread across her creamy skin only got more endearing as time passed by. Her nose was scrunched up, eyes clenched shut as her laughter pealed out of her; a pleasant, joyous sound. Eventually he stopped, and she tried to catch her breath, smile still on her face._

 _"I love you, Theodore Nott. Don't ever forget that," Ginny said happily, taking his face in her hands and kissing him gently on the lips._

Theo was jerked back to the present when he reached Ginny's bedside. Only then did her head turn towards him. Emotionless, her blue eyes were vacant, if she hadn't just moved he would've thought her dead.

It wasn't until he tasted the salty liquid as it hit his lip that he came to the conclusion that he was crying. Quite badly. The tears wouldn't stop, and he did nothing but stand there, fists clenched, biting down hard on his bottom lip as tears streamed down his face. Looking at Ginny, and only Ginny.

"Ginny?" Theo managed to croak out, sitting on the edge of the bed when there was no response. The vacant eyes followed his movement. He was sitting right beside her hip, not sure what else to do, he took one of her hands in his left one.

Nothing, there was nothing. His best friend. Lover. Confidant. There was simply nothing. It was worse than if she had just died, because her body was still there, warm and the same, yet nothing was the same.

Theo was about to turn his eyes away from the vacant ones staring at him, blinking occasionally-but he assumed that was more a bodily function as opposed to a conscious one-when he felt a tug.

Next thing he knew he was in a vast white space, nothing around him, until he turned around and saw her. Looking more beautiful than ever. She also looked more sad than he thought he'd ever seen her as well. He didn't care that tears were running down his cheeks still, and that the last time they had seen each other they had fought. She was all that mattered right now, everything else could be dealt with later.

"Ginny," Theo mumbled, stepping forward two steps and engulfing her in a hug.

"Theo," she sighed contently, "I missed you."

"Fuck. I missed you too, Ginny."

"You keep calling me, Ginny," she pointed out, her fingers grasping at the fabric on his back.

"It just seemed right," Theo whispered, face buried in the crook of her neck, surprised when he smelled her minty chocolate smell. "Is this real? Or is this all in my head?"

"It's in my head, and that doesn't make it any less real," Ginny laughed breathily. "Though I can only keep this up for short periods of time, and it takes a long time in between for me to do it again."

"What happened?"

"Ahhh, they didn't tell you?"

"They told me why you went there, Gwen however didn't get to the part where you're...like this," Theo said stiffly, still not exactly sure what _this_ was.

"Bellatrix crucio'd me after I used Legilimency on You-Know-Who...I probably would've been fine if I hadn't shoved my way into her mind and basically knocked her out," Ginny said the last part quietly, trying to make herself smaller as she clung to Theo like a child.

Theo refrained from commenting on that, since he knew he would only say something in anger. "How long are you…" he trailed off, not certain how to phrase his question with the level of tact that he wished.

"Going to be stuck as a lifeless shell of a person?" Ginny asked, her tone a bit harsh.

"I wouldn't have put it like that...but yes."

"I know, you would've used pretty words whilst throwing in the occasional curse word here and there," Ginny teased, neither of them had let go of each other, hugging each other as if their lives depended on it.

"I don't know, it could be days or weeks," Ginny confessed sheepishly. "Fleur's singing is nice. I know at one point I thought she was a horrid cow, but she's actually quite nice. I like her."

"I love you, Theo-"

"Ginevra," Theo said in a warning tone, icy blue eyes turning away from her. He didn't want to fight, and he knew if he thought about the _fucking terrible, shite_ idea she had had then they were going to fight. From what Ginny said they didn't have a lot of time, and he would be damned if they spent what precious little of it that they actually had bickering.

"I'm not asking you to _agree_ with what I did, Teddy." _There she goes using my nickname, trying to appeal to my emotions. I see what you're doing Ginny Weasley,_ Theo thought wryly. "I'm just asking that you agree that I needed to do it. For me."

"Ginny…" Theo sighed, but then she showed her stubborn side.

"I accepted the fact that you had to become a Death Eater and be in constant danger because you needed to. I didn't argue with you even though I detested the idea since I knew you needed to do it. For Gwen. To help the Light side. To rebel against all the hogwash your Father tried to instill in you about Pureblood Supremacy!" Ginny roared practically, fingers digging into him, and damn if it didn't _fucking_ hurt something terrible.

Theo kept his mouth shut, he knew she was right, if only a little bit. Him avoiding her a few months back had been unfair, Draco not telling him about his mission to go and get his sister was also unfair. Him keeping Luna's injuries a secret for so long was unfair. At the time everyone was only doing what they thought was best.

Which certainly put a few things in perspective. The main reason for why he only breathed out heavily through his nostrils and didn't argue with her.

"I love you too," Theo opted for instead, a peace offering of sorts.

"I can't keep this up for much longer, I'm afraid," Ginny winced, one of her hands leaving him to hold her forehead.

"Ginny. Are you okay, love?" Theo asked hurriedly, in a concerned tone. Ducking his head so he was face to face with her-her face was contorted and twisted in pain, eyes clenched shut.

He blinked and he was still looking at her, with the exception that he could hear the sea roaring outside, feel the gentle sea breeze, and he was sitting as opposed to standing. His palm was resting on top of the soft texture of the blankets that covered Ginny.

"I love you," Theo whispered, leaning forward and pressing his lips gently to her forehead. Lips lingering a moment longer than he had originally intended. His rough, calloused hand gently stroked her hair, and when he pulled back he took one last, long look at her before standing up. A impression still on top of the sheets from where he had been sitting.

Theo went back downstairs and he found an interesting sight. Lovegood was straddling the Chosen One's lap, his hands on her arse, hers delved into his messy, black tresses as they devoured each other's faces.

"Well someone's having a good day," Theo said smugly, leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, crossing his ankles. He admired how the sunlight from the windows was washing over Luna's fair hair, making her ethereal.

Luna leaned back languidly, a dreamy smile on her face, whereas Harry's face turned bright red, and he started stumbling over his words, "N-Nott. How you doing? It's, how is...I mean, Ginny, uhhh..."

"As hilarious as I find you butchering your language, after being caught sticking your tongue down the lovely lady here's throat...I should probably get going. Ginny wouldn't want me hovering, and as much as I would like to stay by her side...I figure visiting once a day should be sufficient," Theo sighed.

He knew Ginny would swear something terrible and most likely hit him if she knew that he was moping about, waiting for her to wake up. She hated being overtly doted on, and she wouldn't want her efforts at Malfoy Manor to go to waste.

"Right Potter. I'll come back tomorrow and we can discuss how I'm going to help you find the next horcrux," Theo said in a polite tone, but from how tight and insincere his smile was, Harry could tell that this wasn't a polite offer, but a demand.

"Okay…" Harry swallowed audibly, Luna had loosely linked her arms behind his neck and her lips were peppering kisses along his jawline, silvery blue eyes locked on the side of Harry's face-which was a bit tense since he was trying not to react to his witch who was slowly rotating her hips right against what Theo guessed was Harry's erection; his pants were probably a little tight right now.

"So, where is my wanker of a brother?" Theo raised an eyebrow, biting the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing at Harry's expression.

"Sorry?" Harry managed to get out, it sounded more guttural than anything, but still had the lighter touch at the end that indicated it was a question. _Oh how I love Luna, I think I'll need to get her pudding sometime cause this is fucking priceless,_ Theo snorted aloud, but neither of the other two occupants in the room noticed.

"Draco. Where is Draco?" Theo clarified, Luna paused in her ministrations and locked eyes with Theo.

"He's outside on the beach with Hermione, Gwen and Blaise are upstairs with Bill and Fleur. Griphook is in his room, Ollivander is also in his room sleeping, and last but certainly not least, Ronald is passed out on the couch in the living room. He spent the entire night curled up on the armchair in Ginny's room until Fleur kicked him out, told him to get some fresh air. He didn't quite make it outside," Luna giggled before dutifully returning to the task at hand.

"Thank you, Lu," Theo smirked, pushing up off the wall and walking past the couple, pausing to press a light kiss to the top of Luna's head. Raising his hand in farewell as he headed towards the kitchen door.

Theo found Draco and Hermione playing in the sea of all things. He stopped a bit farther up on the beach, it was high tide and he wasn't planning on getting his feet wet at the moment.

It brought a genuine, happy smile to his face when he saw Draco dive forward and throw Hermione over his shoulder-the girl squirmed, laughing as she lightly hit his back-he had a secure grip on her, one hand on her arse, the other wrapped around the back of her thighs. For a brief moment there was a pang in his heart as he pictured Ginny and him doing something similar, but he shook his head and banished the thought before it grew into something ugly, monstrous and dark. Dark, twisted and poisonous.

Draco deserved every moment of happiness that he could muster, things had been really shit for a long time for him, and it was about time some good happened as well.

Theo lifted his hand partially when Draco spun around and saw him. He froze, broad grin still spread across his face, but it fled quickly. He patted Hermione's bum once, before carefully putting her down. She was perplexed up his grave expression until she followed his line of sight. Understanding dawned on her face, she quickly pulled Draco in for a short, but heated kiss, nipping his bottom lip before extracting herself from him. Slowly making her way out of the sea as the her legs worked to get out of the water, the waves lapping her ankles when she reached the shore.

Theo thought she was going to walk past him, but she stopped right next to him. "I'm sorry, I love her too." She whispered softly, her hand reaching up to squeeze his shoulder comfortingly.

"I know," Theo responded, voice barely above a whisper. Hermione nodded, wet curls sticking to the side of her face, she pulled her shirt out in front of her and began to wring it out as she trudged through the sand towards the house.

"You should come in, the water's pretty nice, " Draco called out, a faint smile on his face.

"I would, but I'm wearing such nice shoes and I'd prefer not to get them wet."

"They're already all sandy," Draco lips twisted to the side, running his hair backwards through his wet locks, a single lock of hair falling back down between his eyes.

"It's not your fault you know," Theo offered, knowing that they needed to have this conversation, despite both of them desperately wishing they would simply avoid it.

"I couldn't protect her-"

"As much as I hate to say this, she doesn't need protecting. No matter how much we think she does. She's volatile when she's ready Dray. You know as well as I do that she can hold her own. That reckless, shitty plan actually worked and without her it probably wouldn't have ended with all of you alive."

Theo looked down at his nice shoes, covered in sand, "sod it." Leaning down he lifted his right leg and tugged his shoe off, balancing so he didn't fall over, a few moments later the other one was off as well and they were neatly placed beside him. He had removed his socks and places them inside their respective shoes, rolling up his pants legs, and he strolled down to the water.

"Hey," Draco smiled tightly, briefly pulling Theo in for a pat on the back. He pursed his lips, looking down at the water, hands shoved into his trousers-the legs were rolled up to just below his knees.

"You're right. Red is the one who looks after us...it's just...I wanted to make sure she was going to be okay. I need her too y'know. She's like my sister...and I love her," Draco made a noise as he said the last part, looking slightly uncomfortable as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"She'll come back to us, and she'll kick major ass like she usually does," Theo smiled wryly, Draco chuckled softly.

"She does, doesn't she," Draco said quietly, "she's not invincible...you know Alecto almost raping her messed her up pretty good…" Draco trailed off, pure ire on his face as he glared venomously at the waves.

"I swear if Red doesn't kill her I will," Theo vowed solemnly, which made Draco look up sharply, grey eyes still filled with fury.

"We really need to keep a tally of who we're going to maim and possibly dismember," Draco snorted.

"Possibly? I'm severing someone's head from their neck that's for sure," Theo said seriously.

"We're twisted fucks aren't we?"

"But _Drakey_ , we're on the good side," Theo said calmly.

"So was Dumbles, but he did some mighty questionable things," Draco raised an eyebrow.

"Fair enough," Theo sighed. "I'm just tired of all this death, to be honest."

"After this War is done...I don't want any more bloodshed...I want the killing to be done," Draco stated, "I just want to settle down with Hermione and spend as much time as I can fucking and loving her."

"We were going so well and then you ruined it, you have no class," Theo teased.

"I have no class? You're the one that can't help but say something crass every other sentence," Draco snorted indelicately, hunching over and swinging his through the water, splashing some of it onto Theo.

"Prat-'

"See, point proven-"

"Wanker-"

"Not really helping your case-"

"You're a sodding prick-"

"You just make it too easy-"

"I hope you burn," Theo guffawed, hitting Draco's shoulder, a little harder than he probably should have, but he wasn't too torn up about it.

"C'mon, let's head back in, Hermione or Luna should be making some tea bout now," Draco said, patting Theo's back.

"I was going to go back to Nott Cottage…" Theo started, but upon seeing his best mate's face he knew it was pointless to argue. "I just don't want to hover over her."

"For fuck's sake, don't be ridiculous. Staying just so you can see her isn't hovering you git," Draco rolled his eyes. "Go back to the cottage when you need clothes or whatever. We'll just transfigure the armchair in her bedroom into a single if you want it."

"I'll just...I'll sleep in the double bed with her," Theo said after a moment.

"You sure mate?" They both knew that in her current state it would be like sleeping next to a practically comatose patient whose muscles reacted at random points due to external stimuli.

"I'm sure," Theo asserted, and with that both boys waded out of the water and headed for the house (Theo remembered to grab his shoes on the way). Nothing more to be said at the moment. Hopefully tomorrow he would know what to do from here, helping Potter end this war was the main priority now. For all of them.

* * *

 **So how much fun was Neville and Seamus blowing up shit? I was tempted to let Alecto and Amycus get farther, but I couldn't with good conscience do that...yet. Let them get hurt I mean. Their time will come. Plus Neville and Seamus planned on the detention lasting longer, and the bomb was on a timer.**

 **I wanted to have more Blaise in this chapter, but my muse was not agreeing with me on getting his character/ lines to go the way I wanted. So he's still there, but not how I know some people would've wanted.**

 **Theo and Draco make me happy.**

 **Un moment, mon chou, je reviendrai - roughly translates to one moment, my sweet bun, I'll be back.**

 **Love,**

 **Indieblue xxx**


	31. Gringotts

**I noticed something in my research for the Gringotts chapter, out of curiousity I went to look at the Shell Cottage chapter...and apparently it's on a cliff overlooking the sea. We're just going to pretend that since this story is non canon, that the location of Shell Cottage is different as well. I'm sorry about that, but at the same time, I kind of like that it is different.**

 **Right as before with the other two chapters that involved canon, all canonical lines will be in italics. I had to change how I lay out my chapters a little bit with this one to be honest, as I normally use italics to indicate someone is thinking, or flashbacks sometimes. NB. The canonical lines start from May 8th, everything before that is mine.**

 **This chapter was going to be insanely long, I had originally planned to cut it, but there wasn't a point that felt right to cut whilst I was writing. So I'm sorry this is soooo long. It's about sixteen pages in my doc.  
**

 **Please leave a review and let me know what you think :)**

 **I listened to Do Something Good by Zayn, and Desire by Years & Years ft. Tove Lo whilst I was writing, in case anyone was interested.**

 **My tumblr: indiebluecrown. tumblr. com (Come say hi! :D)**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, only the story line and any OC's belong to me.**

 **For Kitty Cat xxx and also for Chic. geek. fangirl. freak I love you both so much! *hearts* Seriously I do!**

* * *

 **Sunday, May 3rd, 1998**

 **Shell Cottage**

Shame. There was a sea of it, enough to fill Shell Cottage-he was sure of it.

That morning when he woke up, mind still groggy and with his thinking capacity limited, Theo hadn't thought about much. In fact the only thing-more as an instinctual, primal need-was the fact that his witch was in his bed. Before he could stop himself, he pressed his erection against her arse and ground slowly, only for reality to slap him, hard, in the face. His eyes shot open, and his mouth dropped open with horror.

 _I just humped my comatose girlfriend. Fucking hell. What is wrong with me?_ Theo quickly rolled the other way, almost falling out of the bed entirely.

Now he was in the shower. With frigid, ice water spouting out at him and running down his body. He hissed when it had first hit him, a sharp shock to his system. He was definitely awake now, but his shame had only grown with each passing moment, with every water stream that flowed from his chin. One hand was on the wall in front of him, keeping him up. The other was digging into his scalp, pulling at his hair.

It had been several days since he'd been here, and there had been no signs of improvement to Ginny's condition. Since the first time they'd shared her mind space-it had only happened once more-she seemed weaker if anything, her smile had been extremely weary. She only held it for a fraction of the time of their previous visit.

Hermione had thrown herself into Remus's arms in joy and thanks when he brought some Wolfsbane for Draco for the next Full Moon, (Remus still had a small supply from when Hermione had brewed a batch for him the previous school year). Draco's supply had just run out, and seeing as he was a wanted man throughout the country, getting his hands on more was not an easy feat. Neither was brewing it, since he nor Hermione had the ingredients they needed. Draco was stubbornly adamant that he would not risk everyone's lives when it wasn't a guarantee that they would be even able to find the necessary ingredients. Especially not after...the last incident.

Remus had also come to bear the news-quite joyously-that Tonks had given birth to a boy. A Metamorphosis like herself, and they named him Teddy after her late Father.

Fleur spent her days with Ginny, singing soft lullabies and ensuring that nourishment found itself into her system. They had somehow procured an IV drip for that exact purpose-Fleur had a friend at St. Mungo's she said.

The rest of the week had been spent trying to figure out a game plan for how they were going to get into Gringotts and break into Bellatrix's vault.

 _"It's basically a suicide mission," Theo said, staring down at the map he had nicked from the Ministry the previous day. It wasn't too detailed since the goblins didn't trust the Wizards, and the only real bit that was any use to them was the plans of the grand, marble entrance hall._

 _"Theo and I are the only ones that are still on 'The Dark Lord's side'...he has been watching us more closely since Malfoy Manor...the first time Potter went there," Blaise stated, eyes attentively studying the map beside Theo. "We could risk that and you could use us to get in, just knock out whatever Goblin takes us down there and figure it out from-"_

 _"You'll never pull it off you foolish Wizard," a gruff voice said from the doorway, it took them all a second to realise that it was Griphook. He rarely left his room, so he was the last person they were expecting._

 _"Do you have a better idea?" Ron asked curiously, frowning deeply, hands on his hips. They were all standing around the table, but now they had all turned to face Griphook._

 _The Goblin was regarding them all with wary, beady eyes. "Yes. As a matter of a fact I do...but not without a price."_

After Theo finished his shower, he merely wrapped his towel around his waist, rubbing his hand through his hair, spraying water droplets everywhere as he walked out into the bedroom. His breath caught in his throat, ceasing all movement immediately.

Ginny had been backing him when he went in the shower, now she was facing him, knees pulled close to her chest, hands resting on the tops of them. She still had that empty, vacant look in her eyes, but she had moved.

"Ginny…?" Theo whispered, walking quickly to her side, kneeling on the ground next to the bed, a hand moving to grasp one of hers, the other to brush some of the hair that had fallen in his face away.

"T-T...T…" it was so faint, he thought he'd imagined it, and her lips were slightly parted, but there was no motion.

"Shhhh...that's so good, love. It's okay, you don't need to do anymore, okay. It's okay," Theo assured her, he hoped that maybe she would squeeze his hand or something to indicate she could hear him properly; instead, the beautiful blue eyes shifted to look at him.

"Fuck...just…" Theo mumbled, stunned. He wasn't someone who cried that often, but this War and all horrendous things that had happened were making it a much more frequent occurrence. Tears were welling up in his eyes, blurring his vision, he blinked and they poured over, slowly crawling down his cheeks. Then she blinked. She blinked and her eyes didn't look as empty, hollow, vacant anymore. He was getting his witch back.

Then her eyes closed, and from the light breezing through her nose, he made a guess that she was sleeping.

There was hope once more, hope that she would get out of this, hope that he would be able to hold her and kiss her again. To laugh, joke, to simply talk to her. He missed talking to her about things. She was the first person he wanted to talk to in the morning, and the last one he wanted to talk to at night-whilst they had been fighting it was something that really got to him.

When it turned out that he wouldn't be able to talk to her, it was somehow much, much worse. Since she was there, but not there all at the same time, not really.

"I love you," Theo murmured, kissing her cheek. She was coming back to him. Slowly but surely.

...

An hour later he found himself on the beach, in possibly one of the most bizarre situations he could have been in, given the current circumstance of what was going outside the cottage right now.

Hermione, Luna and Harry had prepared Breakfast that morning, and decided that they were going to have a picnic. Picnic.

They had laid out a large blue and white checkered blanket, and spread the food out in the middle, securing the corners to the ground with a few rocks. Theo almost made a comment about how he was sure there was a spell for that, but he didn't want to get hexed by the brunette witch who was currently looking at him.

They had certainly gone all out, bacon, eggs done several different ways, toast, fresh fruit, pancakes, sausages, the butter and different jams in their own little dishes in the thick of it.

"You do know how weird this is right? That we're having a bloody picnic in the middle of a War?" Blaise asked, he hadn't bothered putting on pants, currently in his black, silk boxers and an unbuttoned, white, short-sleeved shirt.

"How about you sit down, enjoy it and stop complaining?" Hermione asked sweetly.

"I have complete faith that what you've prepared won't kill me, Granger. Please don't let me down," Blaise winked at the brunette, who scowled, crossing her arms over her chest. She and Luna were already seated beside one another on the blanket, the younger witch shifted and draped herself across Hermione-a piece of bacon hanging out the corner of her mouth.

Draco rolled his eyes at Blaise, he was walking back from the water; he wasn't drenched because he had only waded into the water up to his knees. He sat on Hermione's other side, reaching out and grabbing a sausage.

Harry was on the other side of the food, and Theo and Blaise sat on either side of him.

It was _nice,_ there weren't a lot of things that were nice these days. The easy banter, and pleasant camaraderie. Somehow, something shifted when they were finished. A comfortable silence had settled over the group-Luna was curled up in Harry's lap, he was stroking her hair, Hermione and Draco were sitting side by side, his arm around her shoulders, whilst she was snuggled into his side. Theo and Blaise both shared an understanding, wistful look-their witches both elsewhere. One faraway, planning a wedding to a man she didn't want to be with or love, the other one much closer, but still painfully far in a completely different way.

No words had to be spoken, they all agreed, this is what they were fighting for. It had become more tangible, almost attainable now; they had gotten a taste of their future and what was on the horizon for them when all this was done.

…

 **Monday, May 4th, 1998**

 **Nott Cottage**

Gwen opened her eyes and was greeted by the same sight she had been for over a month. Tousled red hair, freckles and pale skin.

"Good morning," came the husky voice next to her, still heavily sleep ridden.

"It is, isn't it?" Gwen purred, stretching her arms out above her head, her back arching slightly, the sheets shifting and coming to rest along her ribs.

One of Charlie's rough, calloused hands, reached out and tugged her closer to him, easily moving so she was half under him, one of his legs now resting in between hers, a lazy grin on his face as he pressed open mouth kisses along her jaw.

"We were going all night, how do you still want to have sex?" Gwen laughed softly, her hands burying themselves in his long locks, bumping her nose on the side of his cheek.

"Gwen?" Charlie leaned back, holding himself up on his forearms on either side of her face, adjusting the length of his body so he was on top of her, but he was making sure not to rest too much of his weight on her.

"What is it?" Gwen frowned-Charlie's expression had grown quite serious, which didn't happen that often-her hands slid down to grasp his face tenderly.

"I love you," Charlie whispered. Gwen's breath caught in her throat, and a moment later she let out a shaky breath. She had known, they both knew how they felt about each other-but this was this was the first time either of them were saying it.

"Before you say anything, I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to have children, and I don't want to waste another second since we lost so much precious time already," Charlie said quickly, his blue eyes searching hers for a sign, anything to indicate how she felt.

Gwen wasn't very good with surprises, never had been. Whilst this wasn't a surprise, it was certainly...a shock. She had dreamed about him saying things similar to this during her time in captivity, surrounded by darkness-when she hadn't fantasized about ripping her Father apart slowly that was.

"I love you too," Gwen said, voice shaky and barely audible. "Was that a proposal Charles?"

"Damn right it was," he grinned broadly, his canines showing. He always looked a little wild, unable to be tamed, feral even. It was a good thing that she wasn't all bark and no bite. He was rough around the edges, but so was she.

"Yes. Yes I will marry you, Charles Weasley. Now are you going to help me celebrate or not?" Gwen wriggled her eyebrows.

"Ms. Nott, I know you let everyone see the calm, collected version of you, but I love to see when you let go," Charlie growled lowly, head ducking down and his nipped at her neck, she threw back her head to give him better access, her hands on his back, her fingers digging into his skin and scratching downwards.

It was as close to perfect as it got for her. She still had nightmares about the dark, she still woke up drenched in a cold sweat, panicked and forgetting where she was. His arms were always there to hold her, he was her anchor in her raging sea of night terrors. When the darkness would plunder her mind, consuming and terrorizing her-he was what brought her back, guided her back to the light. He was her wild thing, hers and nobody else's. For the next few hours-of slow rocking, heavy pants, light moans, scratches and then heated throes of passion-she made sure he remembered that.

...

 **Friday, May 8th, 1998**

 **Shell Cottage**

Tensions were impossibly high, Breakfast had been consumed in silence, none of the usual witty banter that was tossed around was present. The importance of their success was heavily resting on their shoulders-mainly Theo, Harry, Ron and Hermione's shoulders to be precise.

It was still quite early since they had all woken up in the wee hours of the morning. Theo sensed that no one had slept well the night prior; he himself had slept very badly, tossing and turning all night, eventually he had settled down next to Ginny, staring at her as she slept. She looked so peaceful, and since she had moved the other morning, she had woken up for short bursts, but she could never speak; though she was regaining some slight movement.

Draco was perpetually on edge since it was the week before the Full Moon-as opposed to getting headaches like he normally did-his aggression had increased exponentially, and his fuse was extremely short. Hermione was the only one he didn't outright growl at, but even she was experiencing a dose of his short temper and irritability.

When they had gone on their suicide mission at Malfoy Manor-where the odds had been against them at least a hundred to one-there was a feeling that they could possibly pull off the improbable. Today things felt different. They wouldn't be able to apparate out of there if things went South; not to mention that Gringotts is essentially an impenetrable fortress.

Mr. Ollivander had left the previous week to go to his quaint cottage by the seaside in Cornwall, the day after Theo had arrived as a matter a fact. He had sent a few gifts, that had only arrived this morning by owl. _Mr. Ollivander had sent Luna_ and Gwen _new_ wands _._ Luna _was out on the back lawn at that moment, testing its capabilities in the_ early morning light _._ Blaise was going back to Nott Cottage shortly and he would give it to her then, and then was going to find himself at Hogwarts Draco was also going with him, and Blaise was going to sneak him into the castle), thus creating an alibi for himself. Mr. Ollivander's letter stated that he rather thought both wands should work well, as they were similar to their previous wands. Harry had completely forgotten that Luna's wand was a borrowed one that they had grabbed from the Snatchers on their way out of Malfoy Manor.

They knew that the next horcrux was at Hogwarts, and Harry was adamant that that's where they all needed to be. Harry had made a deal with Griphook to help them get them into Gringotts, however as payment he wanted the sword of Godric Gryffindor. Harry had wanted to cheat the Goblin, and not keep up his end of the deal, but the Slytherins knew how badly things could go if they double crossed him. Which is why they insisted that they hold up their end-if the sword of Gryffindor truly appeared to those worthy to wield it at opportune moments, then it would appear again, or they would figure out another way to destroy the horcruxes. To which Luna had suggested that perhaps the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets could come in handy there. Harry still wasn't comfortable handing over the sword, but he had begrudgingly agreed-when Griphook hadn't been lurking around corners, as he didn't want the Goblin to have any doubt that he hadn't planned on handing it over at all-that it would be best to just give him the sword for helping them.

 _The goblin rarely left Harry, Ron, and Hermione alone together for more than five minutes at a time_ since he had agreed to help them _: "He could give my mother lessons," growled Ron, as the goblin's long fingers kept appearing around the edges of doors._

"Everyone knows what they have to do?" Harry asked, as he and Ron cleared the Breakfast dishes off of the kitchen table-it was their morning to wash the dishes as Blaise and Fleur had cooked.

"Last chance to say fuck the rest of the Wizarding World and just stay here, Potter," Blaise said sardonically, but Theo heard the tinge of hope that Harry would actually agree to call the whole thing off.

"Funny, Zabini...but no, we're doing this. We have to," Harry said grimly.

"I wouldn't say have to, but for some crazy reason...we are choosing to," Blaise sighed, getting up from the table, he headed over for the kitchen counter, picking the dark brown box up, making sure not to mess up the bright turquoise bow that was wrapped around it. It was a bit of a personal touch since Ollivander hadn't been able to give it to Gwen in person.

"Ravenclaws are definitely interesting people," Blaise smiled wryly looking at the bow. The Wandmaker had been in Ravenclaw when he had attended Hogwarts many years ago now.

Blaise paused before leaving, he already had his belongings shrunk down into a small pouch on his hip, he looked directly at Theo and Draco, who were both still sitting at the kitchen table, Hermione was perched in Draco's lap, arms wrapped around his neck. "Be careful, Theo, and Draco try not to rip out anyone's throat worrying about Granger-especially not mine, I quite like my face, and I know Daphne does as well. Theo, don't let the recklessness of these lot rub off on you, don't do anything stupid for Red's sake. You know she'll kill anyone if they hurt you."

Theo didn't say a word, looking at Blaise with solemn eyes, he silently stood up, the chair legs groaning as they slid across the floor. Theo strode over to Blaise, and pulled him into a hug. "I'm going to be fine. Try to keep a low profile, and good luck to you too," Theo whispered in Blaise's ear.

"Well I best be on my way," Blaise smiled over Theo's shoulder at Draco, who was smiling weakly back. "You coming, Dray?"

Draco looked at Hermione, and some silent understanding passed between them. Ron and Harry, sensing it was a sensitive moment, quickly excused themselves, mumbling something about going to find Luna.

Hermione tightened her grip on Draco, and Theo looked away as Draco claimed his witch's mouth. Blaise had no shame, and was openly watching them, a smug smile on his face, and Theo rolled his eyes when he spotted it.

Theo felt a hand clap down on his shoulder, and he angled his face towards its' own. Draco's mouth was set in a grim line. "Let's go," Draco said, squeezing Theo's shoulder. He would've drawn the blonde in for a hug as well, but the _Wolf_ wasn't too fond of physical contact from anyone besides Hermione or Ginny during the Full Moon week.

A few moments later, the first of them had set out for the day. Luna had originally wanted to go with Draco and Blaise, but she was instead going to Lupin Den, where Black, Lupin, Tonks and baby teddy were.

Lupin had come to Shell Cottage a couple weeks back, overjoyed and practically crying tears of joy as he announced that Tonks had had a son. Which is when he had asked Potter if he would be the child's Godfather, or so Draco had told him. The boy was apparently a Metamorphmagus like his Mother.

Luna was meant to tell Sirius that tomorrow the Order needed to go to Hogwarts, that You-Know-Who was going to be there. Harry told all of them that if they managed to break into Bellatrix's Vault successfully then that meant that _he_ would know what they were doing, and he would try and stop Harry from getting to the Diadem.

Theo didn't know what Potter's connection to the Dark Lord felt like, all he knew was that according to Harry, he was getting more desperate, angrier. Theo had seen the aftermath of the Dark Lord's tantrums of course, during meetings and when checking in as he had twice in the last week. The body count was going up, and Theo swore that Nagini was getting fatter from the sheer number of human carcasses she got to enjoy and devour.

"Okay, everyone needs to go get ready, we're leaving here in less than an hour," Theo said in a firm voice to Hermione. She snorted at him, her eyes slightly bloodshot. She held up her beaded bag. _Which,_ Theo _was impressed to learn, Hermione had protected from the Snatchers by the simple expedient of stuffing it down her sock._

It wasn't too long after everyone had gathered in front of Shell Cottage, Harry was hugging Luna tightly, and he dropped a kiss to her forehead before letting her go-she went to stand by Bill and Fleur, and her blank expression gave no indication as to how she was truly feeling-Hermione had lined the boys up, and she decided to do Ron first.

 _Hermione set to work, muttering under her breath as she transformed various aspects of Ron's appearance_. _He was to be given a completely fake identity, and they were trusting_ Theo's word and stern aura _to protect him._ _Meanwhile Harry_ , Hermione _and Griphook were to be concealed under the Invisibility Cloak;_ they had tested it out, and there was just enough room under the cloak for all three of them _._

...

"Are you sure Draco using Polyjuice and pretending to be you is going to work?" Harry had asked Theo that morning, leaning up against the doorway whilst Theo sat next to Ginny, stroking her cheek tenderly.

"For sure, it will delay the Dark Lord, he'll might figure that it wasn't me, since even though you need a key for personal vault or to use your wand as identification...we aren't actually going to my vault...so maybe he will actually believe that it was an imposter." Theo said pensively, finally tearing his gaze away from Ginny. "It's a risk I'll have to take. Plus if you're right then after today it won't matter really."

...

 _"There," said Hermione, "how does he look, Harry?"_

 _It was just not possible to discern Ron under his disguise, but only, Harry thought because he knew him so well. Ron's hair was now long and wavy; he had a thick brownbeard and mustache, no freckles, a short, broad nose, and heavy eyebrows._

 _"Well, he's not my type, but he'll do," said Harry._

"Shall we go then?" Theo asked, glancing at the Goblin, who looked disgruntled at best.

"No time like the present," Ron responded.

They said their final goodbyes to Bill, Fleur and Luna; the plan had been to not let Bill and Fleur know about any of their plans, but it had been adjusted so that they knew where they were going, but not why or how they were executing whatever they needed to get done. Ron had been the one to suggest that they let them know, since both Bill and Fleur had worked at Gringotts before, that perhaps they could be of some kind of help. Griphook had snorted at the suggestion; that was how they had been made aware of his presence when he had been eavesdropping that particular time.

In silence they walked away from Shell Cottage, the sea breeze hitting them and tousling through their hair and playing with their clothes. Until they were just past the boundary for where the Fidelus Charm ended-Theo ignored the fact that there was now sand in his shoes-and where they would be able to disapparate.

 _Griphook spoke. "I should climb up now, Harry Potter, I think?"_

 _Harry bent down and the goblin clambered onto his back, his hands linked on front of Harry's throat. He was not heavy, but_ it was clear that _Harry disliked the feeling of the goblin, and the surprising strength with which he clung on. Hermione pulled the Invisibility Cloak out of the beaded bag_ and she threw it over the three of them. Theo bent down to check and see if he could see anything, "I can't see a thing. Let's go."

Theo _turned on the spot, concentrating with all his might on the Leaky Cauldron, the inn that was the entrance to Diagon Alley. Seconds later_ Theo's _feet found pavement and he opened his eyes on Charing Cross Road. Muggles bustled past wearing the hangdog expressions of early morning, quite unconscious of the little inn's existence._

 _The bar of the Leaky Cauldron was nearly deserted. Ton, the stooped and toothless landlord, was polishing glasses behind the bar counter; a couple of warlocks_

 _having a muttered conversation in the far corner glanced at_ Theo and Ron, unable to see their invisible companions. They returned to their conversation mere moments later, determining that Theo and Ron were not particularly interesting.

"Mister Nott," _murmured Tom, and as_ Theo _paused he inclined his head_ respectfully.

"Morning, Tom," said Theo, and Tom made a noise in the back of his throat, "unfortunately it's business today, or I'd stop and have a pint."

"Still having woman problems?" Tom grunted. Theo recalled briefly that he had come to the Leaky to drown his troubles with Ginny once or twice when they hadn't been on speaking terms.

"Aren't we all always having woman problems, Tom?" Theo asked wryly, the corners of his lips twitching upwards. The man made a noise of agreement, and Theo tapped the bar as a way of saying farewell. _They passed out of the Inn into the tiny backyard._

Theo drew his wand out of his robes _and rapped a brick in the nondescript wall in front of them. At once the bricks began to whirl and spin: A hole appeared in the middle of them, which grew wider and wider, finally forming an archway onto the narrow cobbled street that was Diagon Alley._

 _It was quiet, barely time for the shops to open, and there were hardly any shoppers abroad. The crooked, cobbled street was much altered now from the bustling place_ Theo had once known. _More Shops than ever were boarded up, though several new establishments dedicated to the Dark Arts had been created_ in the past few months-from the noise Ron made in his throat, Theo gathered that this was most likely the Golden Trio's first trip here since their previous school year. Potter's _face glared down at him from posters plastered over many windows, always captioned with the words UNDESIRABLE NUMBER ONE._ There were various other posters strewn about; Hermione, Ron and the Malfoy's faces made up the majority of them.

 _A number of ragged people sat huddled in doorways. He heard them moaning to the few passersby, pleading for gold, insisting that they were really wizards. One man had a bloody bandage over his eye._

Theo never dared to stop and give any of them gold, nor did he make eye contact. Since he was a Death Eater (defected or not), he needed to maintain appearances; and helping beggars that had been put on the streets by his fellow Death Eaters was one way to cast doubt on himself.

They passed by the beggars, who shied away, drawing hoods over their faces. Theo knew that they probably recognised him because of how similar he looked to his Father. Theo's blood ran cold-the beggars were suddenly the last thing on his mind-when _they heard a_ voice _from behind them._

"Nott!" The gruff, throaty voice drawled, and Theo froze in his tracks, angling himself towards the source of the sound.

"Macnair," Theo responded, ice blue eyes sharply scrutinising the man in front of him. Who looked a little worse for wear, Theo swore there was one more gap in his mouth than usual, and he had the scruff of a man who hadn't shaved in days, his eyes were bloodshot and his pupils were dilated.

"Working with your Father is fucking terrible, you know that?" Macnair sneered, "always want to gallivant bout the place, going on and on bout the damn Weasleys. If he spent more time killing and less time yapping, I think we could get on...but no," Macnair complained, tone laced with bitterness. Macnair frowned upon noticing that Theo was not alone, "who's this bloke now?"

 _"This is Dragomir Despard," said_ Theo _; they had decided that a fictional foreigner was the safest cover for Ron to assume. "He speaks very little English, but he is in sympathy with the Dark Lord's aims. He has traveled here from Transylvania to see our new regime."_

"That so, how do you do, mate?"

 _"'Ow you?" said Ron, holding out his hand._

Macnair looked at Ron's extended hand, and narrowed his eyes, then continued speaking as if Ron wasn't standing there, hand hovering in the air; unsure whether to put it down or not. Once Theo cleared his throat, Ron dropped it.

 _"So what brings you and your-ah-sympathetic friend to Diagon Alley this early?"asked_ Macnair, shoving a finger in his ear and twisting it-one eye half scrunched closed as he focused.

 _"I need to visit Gringotts," said_ Theo.  
"Ah, good luck with handling our long-fingered friends, they don't like me that's for sure," Macnair snorted. "Filthy little creatures," he paused a moment, ceasing his digging-wiping his finger across the front of his robes-then looked directly at Theo, "I've got business to take care of in Knockturn Alley."

"Well then, I guess this is where we'll part ways," Theo said impassively.

"Guess so. Remember, you're with me after the next few days, try to be on time and don't have your thumb up your ass," Macnair snarled, raising his hand in farewell as he turned on his heel-heading in the opposite direction to them. He ducked down an alleyway not too far from them; the beggars that had moved away earlier, scattered once more, terrified expressions on their spaces as they fled from Macnair's path.

Theo sighed, that was one delay that he was happy was over and done with. If everything went according to plan, then he would never have to take orders from Macnair again.

 _All too soon they arrived at the foot of the marble steps leading up to the great bronze doors. As Griphook had already warned them, the liveried goblins who usually flanked the entrance had been replaced by two wizards, both of whom were clutching long thin golden rods._

 _"Ah, Probity Probes,"_ Theo muttered to himself, setting _off up the steps, nodding left and right to the wizards, who raised the golden rods and passed them up and down his body._ _The Probes,_ Theo _knew_ , _detected spells of concealment and hidden magical objects. Knowing that_ Potter had only seconds, Theo hoped that he would figure a way around their current predicament. _Through the bronze doors at the inner hall,each of the guards gave a little start as the_ whatever spells Potter had cast _hit them._

 _"One moment,_ Sir," said the guard, _raising his Probe_ , directing his comment at Ron.

"Mate, you just checked us both," Theo said in a bored tone, that clearly indicated he didn't have time to waste.

 _The guard was confused. He stared down at the thin golden Probe and then at his companion, who said in a slightly dazed voice,_

 _"Yeah, you've just checked them, Marius."_

Theo stopped himself from glancing _back as they crossed the threshold. If he had then he would have seen that_ the wizards were both scratching their heads.

 _Two goblins stood before the inner doors, which were made of silver and which carried the poem warning of dire retribution to potential thieves. But within seconds they were standing in the vast marble hall of the bank._

 _The long counter was manned by goblins sitting on high stools serving the first customers of the day._ Theo and _Ron headed toward an old goblin who was examining a thick gold coin through an eyeglass._

Theo stepped forward, and _the goblin tossed the coin he was holding aside, said to nobody in particular, "Leprechaun," and then greeted_ Theo _, who passed over a tiny golden key, which was examined and given back to him._

"Mister Nott, I take it that you and your er-associate wish to visit your family's vault today then?"

"Yes. Please," Theo said, keeping it short, so far the goblin hadn't batted an eye. It helped that Theo had needed to come to Gringotts in the past on his Father's behalf.

 _The old goblin behind the counter clapped his hands and a younger goblin approached._

 _"I shall need the Clankers," he told the goblin, who dashed away and returned a moment later with a leather bag that seemed to be full of jangling metal, which he handed to his senior. "Good, good! So, if you will follow me,_ Mister Nott," _said the old goblin, hopping down off his stool and vanishing from sight. "I shall take you to your vault."_

Theo noted out of the corner of his eye that a younger Goblin was looking slightly dazed, he had a key in his grasp, and when Theo blinked, the key disappeared in thin air. Potter must've imperiused the Goblin to retrieve the key to the Lestrange vault, which meant that things were thankfully going according to plan so far.

Bogrod _appeared around the end of the counter, jogging towards them,_ frowning slightly, _the contents of the leather bag still jingling, he hurried toward one of the many doors leading off the hall._ They followed after the Goblin, _reached the door and passed into the rough stone passageway beyond, which was lit with flaming torches._

Theo _waited until the door slammed behind them and_ he swiftly drew his wand out of his robes, his wand pointed at the goblin in front of him, "Imperio!" _A curious sensation shot down_ Theo _'s arm, a feeling of tingling, warmth that seemed to flow from his mind, down the sinews and veins connecting him to the wand and the curse it had just cast._ Moments later Potter _pulled off the Invisibility Cloak. Griphook jumped down from his shoulders,_ Hermione was already rifling through her beaded bag that was slung diagonally across her body. Bogrod, was _now standing there looking blank._

"Shall we get on with it then?" Theo asked, raising an eyebrow as he addressed his companions.

"We've come this far, let's do this," Harry agreed, Hermione and Ron nodded beside the Chosen one.

 _"Good!" said Griphook. "So, we need Bogrod to control the cart; I no longer have the authority."_

"You got the key right, Potter?" Theo queried, and his answer was the dark haired wizard raising his hand, clasped in between his fingers was object in question. The light from the torches flickered across the back Harry's right hand, and Theo saw the faint white words, I must not tell lies.

Theo _pointed his wand at Bogrod, who whistled to summon a little cart that came trundling along the tracks toward them out of the darkness._ _They all clambered into it_ when it stopped, _Bogrod in front of Griphook, Harry, Ron,_ Theo _and Hermione crammed together in the back_. Griphook made a face as there was barely enough room for the two goblins and three of them, much less four. How they all fit, Theo would never know; Hermione being partially in his lap most likely had something to do with it.

 _With a jerk the cart moved off, gathering speed, it began twisting and turning through the labyrinthine passages, sloping downward all the time._ Theo _could not hear anything over the rattling of the cart on the tracks: His hair flew behind him as they swerved between stalactites, flying ever deeper into the earth, but he kept glancing back._ Abruptly _they took a hairpin bend at speed and saw ahead of them, with seconds to spare,_ that the tracks ended suddenly. _Then, with an awful lurch, the cart flipped over and they were all thrown out of it._ Theo _heard the cart smash into pieces against the passage wall, heard Hermione shriek something, and felt himself glide back toward the ground as though weightless, landing painlessly on the rocky passage floor._

 _"C-Cushioning Charm," Hermione spluttered, as Ron pulled her to her feet._

"Thank Salazar for that, otherwise that could've hurt a fuck ton," Theo groaned, sitting up, accepting Harry's hand when he helped him up. He saw Hermione helping Griphook up out of the corner of his eye.

Theo _saw Hermione checking that she still had the beaded bag,_ it was _then he turned to see Bogrod_ grinning like an idiot, the dreamy, distracted look still present on his face.

 _"We need him_ st _ill," said Griphook, "we cannot enter the vault without a Gringott's goblin. And we need the clankers!" Ron hurried to pick up the leather bag of metal tools._

"What are the clankers for exactly? You never explained that bit," Theo pointed out, Griphook ignored him, not showing any indication that he had heard Theo speak at all.

 _"Lead the way, Griphook!"_ Harry said.

 _"How are we going to get out again?" Ron asked as they hurried on foot into the darkness after the goblin, Bogrod panting in their wake like an old dog._

 _"Let's worry about that when we have to," said Harry. He was trying to listen: He thought he could hear something clanking and moving around nearby. "Griphook, how much farther?"_

 _"Not far, Harry Potter, not far … "_

 _They turned a corner and saw the thing for which_ Theo hadn't been prepared for in the slightest, swiftly bringing all of them to a halt.

 _A gigantic dragon was tethered to the ground in front of them, barring access to four or five of the deepest vaults in the place. The beast's scales had turned pale and flaky during its long incarceration under the ground, its eyes were milkily pink; both rear legs bore heavy cuffs from which chains led to enormous pegs driven deep into the rocky floor. Its great spiked wings, folded close to its body, would have filled the chamber if it spread them, and when it turned its ugly head toward them, it roared with a noise that made the rock tremble, opened its mouth, and spat a jet of fire that sent them running back up the passageway._

 _"It is partially blind," panted Griphook, "but even more savage for that. However, we have the means to control it. It has learned what to expect when the Clankers come. Give them to me."_

 _Ron passed the bag to Griphook, and the goblin pulled out a number of small metal instruments that when shaken made a long ringing noise like miniature hammers on anvils. Griphook handed them out: Bogrod accepted his meekly._

 _"It will expect pain when it hears the noise. It will retreat, and Bogrod must place his palm upon the door of the vault," Griphook told Harry, Ron,_ Theo _and Hermione._

"So you're telling me we didn't actually need a key to get into her vault?" Theo asked skeptically.

Griphook shot him a look as if he was a child that wasn't worth his time, and didn't understand simple concepts, "Indeed Mister Nott. I never said you did."

Theo made a noise of irritation, but decided not to retort, they needed Griphook to help them still, and pissing off the goblin was not a good idea.

 _They advanced around the corner again, shaking the Clankers, and the noise echoed off the rocky walls, grossly magnified, so that the inside of Harry's skull seemed to vibrate with the den. The dragon let out another hoarse roar, then retreated. Harry could see it trembling, and as they drew nearer he saw the scars made by vicious slashes across its face, and guess that it had been taught to fear hot swords when it heard the sound of the Clankers._

 _"Make him press his hand to the door!" Griphook urged_ Theo, _who turned his wand again upon Bogrod. The old goblin obeyed, pressing his palm to the wood, and the door of the vault melted away to reveal a cavelike opening crammed from floor to ceiling with golden coins and goblets, silver armor, the skins of strange creatures – some with long spines, other with drooping wings – potions in jeweled flasks, and a skull still wearing a crown._

"Well we've got our work cut out for us," Theo whistled lowly.

 _"Search, fast!" said Harry as they all hurried inside the vault. He had described Hufflepuff's cup to_ his companions, _but if it was the other, unknown Horcrux that resided in this vault, he did not know what it looked like. He barely had time to glance around, however, before there was a muffled clunk from behind them: The door had reappeared, sealing them inside the vault, and they were plunged into total darkness._

 _"No matter, Bogrod will be able to release us!" said Griphook as Ron gave a shout of surprise. "Light your wands, can't you? And hurry, we have little time!"_

 _"Lumos!"_

 _Harry shone his lit wand around the vault: Its beam fell upon glittering jewels;_ and Theo _saw the fake sword of Gryffindor lying on a high shelf amongst a jumble of chains._ _Ron, Hermione_ and Theo _lit their wands too, and were now examining the piles of objects surrounding them._

 _"Harry, could this be - ? Aargh!"_

 _Hermione screamed in pain, and_ Theo _turned his wand on her in time to see a jeweled goblet tumbling from her grip. But as it fell, it split, became a shower of goblets,so that a second later, with a great clatter, the floor was covered in identical cups rolling in every direction, the original impossible to discern amongst them._

"It burned me!" moaned Hermione, sucking her blistered fingers.

"Shit, be careful, Hermione!" Theo said a bit harsher than he intended, she flinched slightly and he regretted his tone almost immediately, but then she relaxed and smiled gently at him.

"Sorry, Theo. I know you're worried about me, I'll try to be more careful," Hermione promised. Theo nodded, and smiled weakly in return. Caring about people and their wellbeing was certainly tiring sometimes. If you had told him a year ago even, that he would have so many people he cared so deeply about, he would've snorted and gone about his business. He never would have thought when he started Hogwarts that he would have become friends with Neville Longbottom of all people, much less any of the Golden Trio. Yet here he was, risking his life beside the three most wanted people in Wizarding Britain; possibly the most insane three people as well.

 _"They have added Germino and Flagrante Curses!" said Griphook._

 _"Everything you touch will burn and multiply, but the copies are worthless – and if you continue to handle the treasure, you will eventually be crushed to death by the weight of expanding gold!"_

"As if this couldn't get any more stressful and impossible," Theo grumbled under his breath, moving his wand around and trying to make sure he wasn't close to anything.

 _"Okay, don't touch anything!" said Harry desperately, but even as he said it, Ron accidentally nudged one of the fallen goblets with his foot, and twenty more exploded into being while Ron hopped on the spot, part of his shoe burned away by contact with the hot metal._

 _"Stand still, don't move!" said Hermione, clutching at Ron._

"I had planned on skipping about and throwing my arms out as if I was frolicking in a glorious meadow. I'm so glad you said that," Theo said sardonically, lips pursed. Hermione shot him a dirty look, but he knew it was all in good fun. She was the one who had shacked up with one of the most sarcastic people he knew, she ought to be used to a bit of prodding and jesting.

 _"Just look around!" said Harry. "Remember, the cup's small and gold, it's got a badger engraved on it, two handles – otherwise see if you can spot Ravenclaw's symbol anywhere, the eagle –"_

 _They directed their wands into every nook and crevice, turning cautiously on the spot. It was impossible not to brush up against anything; Harry sent a great cascade of fake Galleons onto the ground where they joined the goblets, and now there was scarcely room to place their feet, and the glowing gold blazed with heat, so that the vault felt like a furnace. Harry's wand light passed over shields and goblin-made helmets set on shelves rising to the ceiling; higher and higher_ Harry _raised the beam, until suddenly it found an object that made_ Harry's _hand tremble,_ Theo followed his line of sight, as did his wand light _._

 _"It's there, it's up there!"_

 _Ron and Hermione pointed there wands at it too, so that the little golden cup sparkled in a three-way spotlight: the cup that had belonged to Helga Hufflepuff, which had passed into the possession of Hepzibah Smith, from whom it had been stolen by Tom Riddle._

 _"And how the hell are we going to get up there without touching anything?" asked Ron._

 _"Accio Cup!" cried Hermione, who had evidently forgotten in her desperation what Griphook had told them during their planning sessions._

 _"No use, no use!" snarled the goblin._

There was a potent moment of silence, and Theo frowned deeply, until his eyes landed on Hermione's beaded bag, he looked at Harry, and in that moment he knew that they both had come to the same conclusion.

 _"Can I touch stuff with the sword?Hermione, give it here!"_ Harry exclaimed.

Hermione shifted the bag from her side around her front, then _rummaged for a few seconds,_ moments later she _removed the shining sword._ _Harry seized it by its rubied hilt and touched the tip of the blade to a silver flagon nearby, which did not multiply._

 _"If I can just poke the sword through a handle – but how am I going to get up there?"_

 _The shelf on which the cup reposed was out of reach for any of them, even Ron,who was tallest. The heat from the enchanted treasure rose in waves, and sweat ran down Harry's face and back as he struggled to think of a way up to the cup._

"Wait...what is that?" Theo asked, through the silence they heard the dragon roar, and Theo swore he heard the ringing sound of the clankers again.

"Merlin knows!" Hermione exclaimed. "I doubt it's good though!"

"No one should have been able to figure it out this fast!" Harry said, eyes wide.

"Calm down, maybe they're going to another vault. One that has absolutely nothing to do with us," Theo tried to reason, it was highly improbable, but one could hope.

 _"Hermione," said Harry, as the clanking grew louder, "I've got to get up there,we've got to get rid of it –"_

 _She raised her wand, pointed it at Harry, and whispered, "Levicorpus."_

 _Hoisted into the air by his ankle, Harry hit a suit of armor and replicas burst out of it like white-hot bodies, filling the cramped space. With screams of pain, Ron, Hermione,_ Theo _and the two goblins were knocked aside into other objects, which also began to replicate. Half buried in a rising tide of red-hot treasure, they struggled and yelled has Harry thrust the sword through the handle of Hufflepuff's cup, hooking it onto the blade._

 _"Impervius!" screeched Hermione in an attempt to protect herself, Ron,_ Theo _and the goblins from the burning metal._

 _Then the worst scream yet made Harry look down: Ron,_ Theo _and Hermione were waist deep in treasure, struggling to keep Bogrod from slipping beneath the rising tide, but Griphook had sunk out of sight; and nothing but the tips of a few long fingers were left inview._

 _Harry seized Griphook's fingers and pulled. The blistered goblin emerged by degrees, howling._

 _"Liberatocorpus!" yelled Harry, and with a crash he and Griphook landed on the surface of the swelling treasure, and the sword flew out of Harry's hand._

 _"Get it!" Harry yelled, fighting the pain of the hot metal on his skin, as Griphook clambered onto his shoulders again, determined to avoid the swelling mass of red-hot objects. "Where's the sword? It had the cup on it!"_

 _The clanking on the other side of the door was growing deafening._

 _"There!"_

 _It was Griphook who had seen it and Griphook who lunged, one hand holding tightly to a fistful of Harry's hair, to make sure he did not fall into the heaving sea of burning gold, Griphook seized the hilt of the sword and swung it high out of Harry's reach. The tiny golden cup, skewered by the handle on the sword's blade was flung into the air. The goblin astride him, Harry dived and caught it, and although he could feel it scalding his flesh he did not relinquish it, even while countless Hufflepuff cups burst from his fist, raining down upon him as the entrance of the vault opened up again and he found himself sliding uncontrollably on an expanding avalanche of fiery gold and silver that bore_ Harry _, Ron, Hermione_ and Theo _into the outer chamber._

 _Hardly aware of the pain from the burns covering his body, and still borne along the swell of replicating treasure, Harry shoved the cup into his pocket._ Griphook slid _from Harry's shoulders the moment he could, he had sprinted for cover amongst the surrounding goblins, brandishing the sword and crying, "Thieves! Thieves! Help! Thieves!" He vanished into the midst of the advancing crowd, all of whom were holding daggers and who accepted him without question._ Theo understood why he did it, he was looking after his own interests, and Theo couldn't blame him. Griphook didn't owe them anything after this, and he clearly didn't want to stay with the ones that had been crazy enough to try and break into Gringotts in the first place. Plus, Theo thought that Griphook probably didn't trust them as far as he could throw them to actually give him the sword of Gryffindor.

 _Slipping on the hot metal,_ Theo _struggled to his feet and knew that the only way out was through._

 _"Stupefy!" he bellowed,_ Harry, _Ron and Hermione joined in: Jets of red light flew into the crowd of goblins, and some toppled over, but others advanced, and Harry saw several wizard guards running around the corner._

It wasn't until he properly look about that he noticed that Bellatrix was standing there, leaning heavily against one of the pillars. Theo was beyond stunned, all of the occupants of Malfoy Manor had been sequestered and forbidden from leaving. Bellatrix was one of those very people, which is why he was so confused as to why she was present. Not to mention that the last he heard she was barely staying awake for more than short bursts of time. The worst part was that her eyes were locked directly on him, and she didn't look like someone who had recently been comatose. The only good thing about this was that apparently she had been stunned into silence. Well. That only lasted momentarily before she was screeching, "NOTT. YOU FILTHY TRAITOR."

"Shit," Theo cursed under his breath. They needed to get out of here, and they needed to get out of here now. He hoped Red would forgive him, but after what Bellatrix had done to her and Draco-between choosing for Fenrir to bite Draco, for using the torture curse on _his_ witch and then holding a knife to Draco's throat-he didn't see himself leaving with her still alive.

"You should have stayed in the Manor, Lestrange!" Theo called across the chamber. Theo noted that she was limping, aside from that, she looked perfectly fine; he could use the limp to his advantage, but limp or not, she was not one to be underestimated.

Just as the words left his mouth, _the tethered dragon let out a roar, and a gush of flame flew over the goblins;_ Bellatrix dodged behind one of the pillars, and Theo couldn't help but think that it was a pity she hadn't been a beat slower.

"Potter! Now would be the time where you come up with whatever ludicrous plan you can in that brain of yours!" Potter was the one who came up with all the crazy plans, so hopefully one would spring into his mind now, before they were roasted by the vast dragon in front of them.

Theo's eyes met Harry's and then it seemed like an idea dawned in the bright green eyed boy's mind. A wild, almost mad look in his eyes. Theo wasn't sure whether he was going to like this idea or not.

 _Harry pointed his wand at the thick cuffs chaining the beast to the floor, and he yelled, "Relashio!" The cuffs broken open with loud bangs._

"Are you trying to kill us all?" Theo yelled at Harry, though he rather doubted the Golden boy heard him over the roar that tore out of the dragon's throat, echoing loudly throughout the chamber; bouncing off the walls and amplifying the sound.

 _"This way!" Harry yelled, and still shooting Stunning Spells at the advancing goblins, he sprinted toward the blind dragon._

 _"Harry – Harry – what are you doing?" cried Hermione._

 _"Get up, climb up, come on –"_

"I'm sorry?" Theo and Ron asked at the same time, matching looks of disbelief on their faces.

 _The dragon had not realized that it was free: Harry's foot found the crook of its hind leg and he pulled himself up onto its back._

 _Harry stretched out an arm; Hermione hoisted herself up; Ron climbed on behind them,_ and finally Theo-against his better judgement-climbed on as well, finding that _the scales were hard as steel; it did not even seem to feel him._ _A second later the dragon became aware that it was untethered._

 _With a roar it reared:_ Theo _dug in his knees, clutching as tightly as he could to the jagged scales as the wings opened, knocking the shrieking goblins aside like skittles,and it soared into the air._

Theo caught sight of Bellatrix out of the corner of his eye, her wand raised, and he knew that she wasn't going to let them out of here, without a fight.

Theo aimed his wand at Bellatrix, hut the dragon moved again suddenly, and he had to steady himself before he flew off of the dragon.

 _Harry, Ron,_ Theo _and Hermione, flat on its back, scraped against the ceiling as it dived toward the passage opening, while the pursuing goblins hurled daggers that glanced off its flanks._

 _"We'll never get out, it's too big!" Hermione screamed, but the dragon opened its mouth and belched flame again, blasting the tunnel, whose floors and ceiling cracked and crumbled. By sheer force, the dragon clawed and fought its way through. Harry's eyes were shut tight against the heat and dust: Deafened by the crash of rock and the dragon's roars, he could only cling to its back, expecting to be shaken off at any moment; then he heard Hermione yelling, "Defodio!"_

 _She was helping the dragon enlarge the passageway, carving out the ceiling as it struggled upward toward the fresher air, away from the shrieking and clanking goblins: Harry,_ Theo _and Ron copied her, blasting the ceiling apart with more gouging spells. They passed the underground lake, and the great crawling, snarling beast seemed to sense freedom and space ahead of it, and behind them the passage was full of the dragon's thrashing, spiked tail, of great lumps of rock, gigantic fractured stalactites, and the clanking of the goblins seemed to be growing more muffled, while ahead, the dragon's fire kept their progress clear –_

Theo heard Bellatrix's furious cry from behind them, but even it seemed farther back than before.

 _And then at last, by the combined force of their spells and the dragon's brute strength, they had blasted their way out of the passage into the marble hallway. Goblins and wizards shrieked and ran for cover, and finally the dragon had room to stretch its wings: Turning its horned head toward the cool outside air it could smell beyond the entrance, it took off, and with Harry, Ron, and Hermione still clinging to its back, it forced its way through the metal doors, leaving them buckled and hanging from their hinges, as it staggered into Diagon Alley and launched itself into the sky._

Theo briefly recalled how Blaise had told him not to let the Gryffindors drag him into anything too reckless-well it was too late for that apparently.

* * *

 **I thought I should mention that IWHGH is in it's final stages. I'm going to try and focus on this one, since I want to finish it by July. I may not post all of it before then, but I do want to accumulate a lot of it before I post. Wouldn't it be fun if we had daily updates? (I would most likely cry cause sad things happen of course, and cause that would be mental).**

 **I will confess that the story won't end right after the Battle of Hogwarts, or have like just a short epilogue afterwards...I want to wrap it up properly, for all of us. I still can't believe that I started posting fics almost a year ago now. My one year anniversary is coming up! Which is mental. I never expected so many people to read my stories, not in the slightest.**

 **Which means that there'll be a section dedicated to after the War, which ought to be lots of fun :P**

 **Love,**

 **Indieblue xxx**

 **P.S. Speaking of the BoH...that is going to begin in the next chapter.**


	32. I Love You, No Matter What

**Hello my lovelies! I've been between work, and then writing a chapter for TTPoC and then of course, this. I hope you've all been well! xx**

 **I know the last few chapters have been extremely long, and I guess this chapter is no exception. Hopefully that's alright XD**

 **If anyone wants to see anything after the War, from any of the characters then I'm totally willing to hear your requests, and I'll try to write them as best as I can.**

 **Some fun things happen in this chapter, and a few...not so fun things. Please remember to take care of yourselves, because there is graphic content in this chapter.**

 **Sunday is Father's day, but it's also my anniversary of when I started posting my fics, which is mental. It's almost been a year!? Omigosh. I can't believe it and I'm so grateful for everyone who reads my stories. I love you.**

 **Please leave a review :)**

 **My tumblr: indiebluecrown. tumblr. com (come say hi :P)**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's belong to me.**

 **For Kitty Cat, who's been a lovely encouragement and I know that she will be just as sad as I will when this story ends, and also for chic. geek. fangirl. freak, who has been here from pretty much the beginning! xxx**

* * *

 **Saturday, May 9th, 1998**

 **Shell Cottage**

Bill looked outside his bedroom window, it was strange, having the house be so quiet.

That morning they had received news that Harry Potter and three accomplices had broken into Gringotts, and ridden off on the back of a vast dragon; the news had travelled hard and fast, and a spark of hope had flared and spread to countless witches and wizards .

"Morning, love," Bill whispered, still in bed lying beside his wife. He pressed his lips to Fleur's temple, who made a happy noise, but she was still asleep.

 _I better go check on Ginny,_ Bill thought absently. Rolling away from Fleur, he threw the sheets back off of him, ensuring that she was still covered. Fleur's golden hair was spread out behind her, curled up on her side.

It was a fairly chilly morning, the sea breeze was blowing through the windows and the sound of the ocean washing up against the shore could be heard was filling his ears.

He silently shut his bedroom door behind him, looking down the corridor, his eyes drifted over the bannister down into the rest of the house; memories of teenagers and Weasleys moving about the house flooded into his mind.

 _Bang!_ The noise came from down the corridor, and Bill was immediately set on high alert. It had become a habit to walk with his wand, so it was already firmly grasped in his hand.

He went as slowly as he could, avoiding the boards he knew that creaked. Slowly, ever so slowly, and he saw that Ginny's door was slightly cracked.

Panic rushed to the surface, and he burst into the room with his wand raised.

On the ground, hair messily in her face, propped up on one elbow, partially on her side, her legs slightly bent and out behind her, was Ginny.

"Ginny?" Bill said, stunned. He dropped his wand to the side and rushed to her side, sliding onto the ground beside her.

"Hey, big brother," Ginny smiled, wincing when she twisted and pushed herself into a sitting position. Bill wrapped his arm around her back, and let her lean back against him.

"You're awake, for longer than a few minutes," Bill said dumbly, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Yea. I've been up for longer periods, but you guys just haven't been around," Ginny panted, "I thought I'd be able to walk automatically...but my muscles are a bit weak."

"Maybe you should get back in bed, Gin," Bill suggested softly.

"Sod that, I just need to get up again, and I'll be able to do it," Ginny insisted, looking up at her brother with burning blue eyes.

"You should rest-"

"I've been sleeping for weeks, Bill. I need to get up. I can do this," Ginny pressed. "Please, Bill."

Bill paused, mulling it over in his mind, and he didn't know what it was-maybe it was how determined she looked-but something in him told him that he needed to help her.

He stood up first, then pulled her up with him. She wobbled for a moment before falling into him, hands moving to his chest. He easily wrapped an arm around her to help hold her up.

"Thank you," Ginny smiled gratefully, her fingers clutching at his shirt.

"Okay...we're going to go slowly okay?" Bill said, Ginny was still looking up and him and she nodded. He helped her turn sideways, her right hand against his chest, her left arm leaning against him. Bill saw her jaw clench as she looked forward in front of her.

He didn't loosen his hold on her too much, prepared to tighten it and support her full weight at any moment. He watched as she took one shaky step forward, how happy her face was at what to others may seem like a small accomplishment.

"I did it, Bill. I did it!" Ginny exclaimed happily as they reached the door together. "I can feel my strength returning, I think it was more from lack of use than anything," Ginny stated, nodding her head. "I think with a bit more practice, I can be back to normal in a day or so."

Bill grinned, moving to hug his sister, picking her up off her feet and swinging her around excitedly.

* * *

A few hours later Bill was standing by the kitchen window, watching the sea crash against the shore, the sun setting in the horizon. Painting vibrant oranges, red and a faint purple across the ocean.

"Bill!" Ginny yelled, and Bill hurried through the house at the sound, he reached the kitchen door and saw that Ginny was running-albeit a little shakily-down the stairs.

"Ginny? Ginny what is it?" Bill asked worriedly, rushing to her side. He heard footsteps and saw that Fleur had rushed from her bath, hair still wet and clinging to her skin, a towel wrapped around her body and she was now standing at the top of the stairs.

She held up a galleon, but he noticed that as opposed to normal galleons there was an inscription around the edge, it was a message.

"I always have it with me, a reminder of the DA, and to keep fighting," Ginny blurted, the words falling out of her mouth as quickly as she could think them. "Neville just sent message. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Theo are at the castle. They set off the Caterwauling charm they had at Hogsmeade...Aberforth hid them and got the Death Eaters off their tracks for now."

"How do you know all this?" Bill asked, it was impossible for her to know all of that.

"Sirius just sent a patronus, he got word from Aberforth about Hogsmeade, it came in through my window," Ginny explained, moving her hands as she spoke, absently brushing her hair out of her face. "Sirius says the Order is going to apparate into Aberforth's directly and go through the tunnel into Hogwarts. We're fighting. We're going to make a stand. Bill we need to go now!"

"Ginny calm down, Fleur and I will go, you need to stay here and rest-" Bill started.

"No! I am _not_ going to stay here by myself and wait to hear that someone died when I could have stopped it!" Ginny roared, her eyes growing into an electrifying blue in a matter of moments.

"Ginny. You can barely walk properly on your own!" Bill yelled back heatedly, "I don't want to hear that _you_ died!"

"Bill. Give me some potions, something, anything. I have to go, Bill. I have to," Ginny said in a calm, even tone.

"Bill. She eez right. She needs to fight," Fleur said from the stairs.

"Fleur," Bill sighed.

"William," Fleur crossed her arms over her chest, and he was reminded as he looked from one stubborn witch's face to the next just who he was talking to.

"Mum is going to kill me," Bill groaned, rubbing at his temple. "Fine. Let's go."

* * *

Theo hung back and watched as Order members and former DA members filtered into the Room of Requirement. Blaise was standing beside him, having pulled him into a bone-crushing hug when he first saw him.

 _"A fucking dragon, mate?" Blaise whistled lowly._

 _"How did it go on your end?" Theo asked in a low whisper, choosing to ignore_

 _"The Carrows sent word to the Dark Lord that you were here yesterday, that it must have been an imposter. No clue if it worked or not, but I think sooner rather than later is when we start fighting openly with these ones," Blaise jerked his head in the direction of the other occupants of the room._

 _"I think you're right. Though, we should hang back, keep to the shadows. It'll be better if we maintain the element of surprise for as long as we can," Theo said, rubbing his hand against his jaw, feeling the slight scruff there. He hadn't bothered to shave in days._

 _"Draco is in the Slytherin Common Room currently, as me, he'll be coming here with Pansy and the others soon," Blaise added, and Theo nodded._

 _Luna skipped towards them, having just arrived with the Weasleys and a few other witches and wizards._

 _"Potter tell you what we're looking for?" Blaise asked the silvery blue eyed girl._

 _"He doesn't want to get everyone else involved," Luna glanced back at the group that had amassed around Harry. They were all insisting they fight and help him. Harry and the others hadn't expected Neville to send word to everyone, much less for him to announce that they were going to fight against the Death Eaters._

 _"I think it's Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem," Luna whispered softly._

 _"That's been lost for years," Theo groaned, he may not have been top of the class like Hermione or Draco, but he wasn't that much farther behind. He liked to read, and he had learned about the Founder's objects years ago. He thought wryly then, they must have been so attractive to the Dark Lord. Especially the diadem, an object that had been lost for hundreds of years._

 _Blaise seemed to be thinking along the same train of thought. "He must have found it, he must have been so proud...to have found what no one else could have."_

 _Luna smiled gently, tiptoeing and kissing both boys on their cheeks. "I think Harry has figured out where it could be," Luna said dreamily, turning and skipping over to Harry. Surprising him when she jumped into his arms, there were a few wolf whistles from around the room, and Harry blushed, waving them off as he hugged Luna to his side._

Theo looked around now and saw Seamus passionately kissing Dean in the corner, his hands roughly caressing the taller boy's back; not caring who was watching. _Well we're about to fight for our lives, no time like the present,_ Theo smiled faintly. He wished he could kiss Ginny once last time, it was sinking in now how close they were to this War ending. For better or for worse.

"Where is William?" Molly asked loudly her voice filling the room as she looked around. The strangest sight yet had to be the Malfoys comfortably standing amongst the Weasleys-Arthur and Lucius were joking about and gesturing as they spoke.

"Coming Mum!" a voice echoed through tunnel, and everyone turned towards the sound.

Theo noted that a few people still weren't here. The most prominent being Lupin, Tonks, Sirius, Gwen, Charlie, Kingsley and Mad-Eye.

"Think it's time we need to go and talk to Potter," Theo said, hitting Blaise's arm softly.

"Alright, let's go," Blaise said as they both pushed off the wall, and headed towards Harry.

"Ginny!" Neville exclaimed happily, breaking away from the crowd and heading for the tunnel. Bill was standing at the bottom, having helped Fleur down moments before, and was now reaching up, hands extended towards the redhead standing at the foot of the tunnel. Ginny shot her brother a droll stare, but jumped into her brother's arms.

Neville rushed forward as did several others, mainly her other family members as they swarmed the petite girl.

Theo froze in his tracks, as did Blaise.

"Red," Blaise whispered beside him, and Theo sucked in a sharp breath. She was here, she was _awake,_ she was walking. She looked every bit as beautiful as the last time as he'd seen her. Her ginger hair was tousled, and she looked just as strong and determined as he remembered. All thoughts about Harry and horcruxes left his mind. All he could think about, the only thing that was important was getting to her.

Theo pushed past bodies, not sure who he was bumping into and moving out of the way. When he was on the other side of the crowd he saw that Molly had her hands on Ginny's cheeks, fussing and checking her daughter. Ginny was holding Molly's wrists, assuring her Mother she was fine.

The sounds of everyone in the Room of Requirement faded as he tuned them out, things seemed to have slowed right down, watching fascinated as Ginny's eyelids shut slowly, her dark eyelashes fluttered as she opened her eyes again, her mouth opening and closing as she spoke to her Mother, making different shapes as the syllables fell from her lips.

"Red," Theo heard himself say, and then she was turning towards him, she was looking at him, and her eyes widened. Time sped up again, sharply, and the next thing he knew she was crashing into his chest, and he was hugging her tight, tighter. He could feel her warmth against his hands beneath the long-sleeved navy blue shirt she had on.

"Teddy," Ginny said softly, and he was positive he was the only one who heard her. Theo pulled back slightly, his hands moving to grasp her face-her hair trapped beneath his fingers-she was holding his wrists, her thumb moving back and forth against his skin.

Theo ducked his head, and tenderly pressed his lips to hers, and he felt her smile into the kiss. He had his witch in his embrace, and he smiled back when she nipped at his bottom lip. It was short-lived because someone was tapping his arm and calling his name.

"What?" Theo asked a bit harsher than he intended, when he glanced to his right and saw Potter standing there with Luna, Hermione and Ron not too far behind them.

"It's time, we need to move...Snape is going to know we're here soon," Harry said.

"Can I help?' Ginny asked automatically, Theo made a low noise in the back of his throat, and she dug her nails into his wrists. "I'm helping, Theo."

"Luna is going to take me to Ravenclaw Tower to look for the diadem-"

"It won't be there," Theo rolled his eyes, glancing around quickly to ensure they weren't being overheard.

"How do you know there won't be a clue to where it really is?" Harry asked skeptically.

"Potter...if it hasn't been seen in hundred of years then you need someone-"

"Dead," Harry finished for Theo.

"Yes," Theo nodded.

"We need something to destroy it when we find it, Ron has an idea about that," Hermione nodded towards the redhead.

"We need to do something about everyone, they won't want to sit by," Ron piped in sagely. The room was filled with witches and wizards itching to fight. Most of them of age. Theo knew this hadn't been a part of Harry's plan, but Ron was right. They needed to tell them something.

"Let them fight," Blaise drawled, arms folded across his chest. "Everyone of age that is, we need to find McGonagall and she'll be able to help us smuggle the younger students out of the castle."

"We need to get rid of the Carrows," Ginny snarled, it was then that she caught sight of Neville's face properly; he had joined their circle moments before, and he nodded curtly. "Did they do that to you, Neville?" Ginny asked calmly.

"I snuck out a few days ago to help Seamus, we've been getting food from Aberforth like you know, but they were threatening a younger student unless I came out. I duelled with Amycus for a while, and this happened," Neville shrugged. "The kid is okay though."

"Okay, well we need to figure out a plan," Ginny stated.

"Ron and I will go get what we need," Hermione spoke up, Harry angled himself towards her.

"Take the map, I'll take the cloak," Harry said, and Hermione nodded curtly, already reaching into her bag to rifle around for the cloak, retrieving it moments later and handing it to him.

"I'll go let Draco and the others know that there's going to be a fight, and that we're going to smuggle the younger years out of the castle, so be ready," Blaise said grimly. The others nodded, and he turned on his heel, the quicker he went the better.

"Neville, I need you to prepare for everyone to fight, and to organise everyone that arrives after this," Harry said, and the other boy nodded firmly. "They just need to wait a bit longer, when we find McGonagall we'll let her know about getting the younger years out."

"We're going to take out the Carrows," Ginny said coldly, squeezing Theo's wrist, and he distinctly felt where her fingers were pressed into his skin.

"Damn right we are, sweetheart," Theo winked.

* * *

"A dragon? That was your brilliant plan for escape?" Ginny hissed at Theo as they all exited the Room of Requirement. Harry rolled his eyes before throwing the cloak over Luna and himself.

"Focus on the task at hand, we can discuss our questionable decisions later," Harry's disembodied voice whispered harshly.

"Good luck," Hermione said, hugging Ginny tightly. She had been smothered with greetings and hugs after they broke their circle and joined everyone else in the Room minutes earlier, but that didn't stop her from hugging one of her best mates back as tightly as she could. Reluctantly she let go, and she watched as Ron and Hermione hurried away, and even though she knew Harry and Luna were long gone she still murmured, "good luck."

"They should be in Alecto's office," Theo said, and she saw in his ice blue eyes that he was worried about her, but he knew better than to ask if she was ready for this.

"I never thought I would say this, but I think I'm going to enjoy seeing their heads roll," Ginny said darkly.

"Killing isn't…" Theo drifted off, his fists clenched, knuckles turning white as his jaw ticked. Ginny knew he was envisioning the innocent lives he had to take because of Voldemort, because of Macnair.

"I know, love," Ginny said softly, stepping towards him. She honestly didn't know if she was going to be able to kill anyone, even someone as vile and wicked as the Carrow twins.

" _Alecto! DO NOT WALK AWAY FROM ME!"_ Ginny heard in the distance, as well as two sets of thunderous footsteps. It seemed like she was about to find out if she could or couldn't. She clenched her jaw, violently pulling images of her friends, tortured to the surface of her mind; leaving a bitter taste in her mouth.

"It looks like we didn't even need to go hunting," Ginny quirked an eyebrow, "I love you no matter what."

"I love you no matter what," Theo said back to her, kissing her forehead, and she sighed when his warm lips left her skin.

Just then the Carrows rounded the corner, to see Theo stepping back from Ginny, and a shiver went up Ginny's spine when she heard the shrill, bone chilling laugh that spilled out of Alecto's lips. _I can do this. I can do this. I can do this,_ Ginny chanted in her head, if she said it enough then perhaps it would come to fruition.

"Can you believe it, Amycus? Lickle ickle Theodore Nott was working for the other side?" Alecto cackled, bent at the middle as she clutched her sides. "I mean, I wasn't too surprised with Malfoy, he was just like his Father after all...but this? This is priceless." Alecto grinned wildly.

"Why is she prattling on so much?" Ginny turned to Theo.

"Not sure, love," Theo drawled in a bored tone.

"Wonder what your Father will say, boy, when he learns that you're fucking a blood traitor," Amycus sneered, spitting in Ginny's direction.

Ginny's arm snapped up and hit Theo's chest as he stepped forward, "don't play with him, love," Ginny pleaded, squeezing her wand in her hand.

"You take all the fun out of it," Theo sighed, shrugging off his outer robes, left in a button down shirt, and black slacks; he made a show of rolling up his sleeves. Amycus clearly annoyed, threw out his wand hand, " _crucio!"_

Theo easily blocked it, and Amycus frowned when he saw the cold, hard expression on Theo's face-looking so similar to his Father in that moment, but so different at the same time-Theo took a small step towards Amycus. "My turn," Theo said.

"Come play with me, pet," Alecto said, and Ginny noted that the deranged look wasn't in her eyes, she almost looked defeated.

"You want to play?" Ginny asked curiously, the air crackling around her. "Fine, let's play!" Ginny snarled viciously, her wand fluidly moving as an extension of her body, she could feel the magic flowing through her veins.

" _Protego!_ " Ginny shouted, and she felt Alecto's silent spell hit her shield.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw flashes of light from Theo and Amycus's wands as they fired spells at each other, circling each other, both not giving an inch.

 _The Conjunctivitis curse should do well,_ Ginny thought before firing it at Alecto, whose hands flew to her eyes when it hit her, letting out a strangled cry as she pressed the heels of her palms against her eye sockets.

"Hypocrite, you just told me no playing!" Theo called out, looking graceful as he fired a flash of white light at Amycus, when it hit the man's shoulder Amycus gritted his teeth, and Ginny could tell he was in a great deal of pain.

"You bitch!" Alecto screamed, thrashing out as she wildly flashed spells in every direction; unable to see since her eyes had wedged shut, the area around it swelling and turning pink.

Ginny strolled towards her, still maintaining her shields. When she reached Alecto she whispered, " _Expelliarmus,"_ catching the older witch's wand easily. Disarmed, Alecto surged forward, which is when Ginny raised her leg, and kicked the woman directly in the chest; causing Alecto to stumble and fall backwards, her head hitting the ground with a loud _thwap._

" _Immobulus,_ " Ginny murmured gently, and she squatted down beside Alecto, one knee moving to press into the cold stone ground. She brushed Alecto's hair out of her eyes. "How does it feel, unable to see? Speak? Move? All you can do is listen to my voice...which will be the last thing you hear before you die."

Ginny sighed when she heard strained noises coming from Alecto's throat, but with her lips unable to move, she couldn't speak. "See, I want to make this slow and painful for all the pain you've caused my friends and I. My _family._ " Ginny leaned down until her mouth was by the shell of Alecto's ear. "I know your secret about Frank, how much you loved him. I know that you don't really love Amycus like that, but it was easy to forget wasn't it? He was the only person who loved you, loved you even though you became a monster. You clung to him like a leech, sucking him dry for any and all emotion. Trying to bury those feelings you had for Frank Longbottom, and Neville looks _so_ much like him you just couldn't bear it anymore."

Ginny leaned back, "well, _sweetie,_ you don't need to anymore, I am going to free you." Ginny knew she sounded mental, but she was dealing with a deranged woman. Should she have left her here, alive and well for the Aurors to deal with her if they won this war? Probably. That would have been ideal, a _good_ girl would have done that. Alecto however was not a _good_ person, and her soul be damned, she couldn't be allowed to live on. Not after everything she had done to the people she cared about.

Ginny stood up, and she knew exactly what she needed to do, " _accio Alecto's whip._ " She only needed to wait a minute, before the whip came sailing towards her, she caught it, wincing as the leather slapped harshly against her palm.

"Should I hit you for the number of times you hit Luna? The times you hit Neville? What about the times you hit me? Or do I simply go on until I lose count since that's what you did with so many of us, with _children_!" Ginny screamed, cracking the whip, before she threw her hand forward, the whip cutting into Alecto. Ginny cried as she struck the frozen woman laying on the ground once, twice, thrice, the tears rolled down her cheeks as she lost count of how many times she hit her, until Theo was grasping her shoulders and shushing her, telling her it was okay to stop. Ginny slid to the ground with Theo holding her, the leather handle of the whip still grasped loosely in her grasp. Alecto's blood seeping out of her, and staining the ground. Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she saw that Amycus was grunting, and crawling towards his sister.

Ginny's spell had worn off, and Alecto's chest was barely rising and falling now, Amycus reached her, and he let out a broken cry as he saw her wounds. Flesh spliced open, and the deep wounds she had amassed from the whip.

"Alecto, I'm sorry baby sister," Amycus whispered, coughing up blood, before he finally collapsed-his hand resting on Alecto's head-face first, dead.

"D-D-Do we clean it up or?" Ginny mumbled, unable to take her eyes off of Alecto's face, and watched as her lips trembled once more, and then she too was motionless, she too was dead.

"I think we should go find, Potter," Theo said, and as he did, he heard footsteps and saw Harry hurrying towards him, Luna and McGonagall beside him.

"Aren't you supposed to be looking for the diadem?" Ginny rasped out, angling her face towards the three flabbergasted people to their left.

"We decided to bring McGonagall back here first, and to tell everyone that Snape fled, like the _coward_ he is," Harry spat.

"Miss Weasley, Mister Nott, did you do this?" McGonagall asked, hand raised to her mouth.

"I think it best you don't ask questions you don't want the answer to Professor," Ginny said dryly, standing up with Theo's help. She stepped forward as she got back her balance, her legs still a little wobbly here and there; stepping directly into the pool of Alecto's blood.

Harry pulled Ginny and Theo aside as McGonagall stepped into the room with Luna. "We need to get into the room where you hide things. Which means we need to get everyone out of the room first."

"And they still need to get all the younger students through the tunnel," Theo grimaced.

"Yea, I'm going to go and talk to Neville and everyone else," Harry said, glancing at the two bodies beside them, "I'm not judging you, just so you know. It's war." Ginny heard how weary he sounded, Harry was clearly tired of all the deaths, and she knew that he had never wanted any of this-how it had all been thrust upon him, little to no choice to pick a different path-she also however didn't hear any judgement or condemnation in his tone, so that helped her conscious a little bit.

McGonagall emerged moments later with the twins, "you both know how to cause your fair share of mischief. I trust you will go and help Professor Flitwick with the charms to protect the castle once he ensures all his Ravenclaws are safely through the tunnel," McGonagall pursed her lips, quirking an eyebrow.

"Certainly, milady," Fred grinned, and George reached out, daintily holding McGonagall's hand before pressing a kiss to the top of it.

"We will do you proud," George added, and their eyes widened as they saw the bodies, but they refrained from commenting.

"We're off to do what we do best," Fred smirked.

"Create wondrous chaos," George finished, and the twins ran past them, in search of their former Charms teacher.

"I will go and retrieve the Gryffindors, I will of course inform all the Seventh Years that if they wish to stay and fight they may, though I do believe most of them are already in there," McGonagall's eyes darted to the wall behind which was filled with numerous witches and wizards. "Do try to stay out of trouble until then, Potter."

"Trouble? Me? Professor, when have I ever gotten myself into any trouble?" Harry smiled crookedly at McGonagall, who merely shook her head, and Ginny swore she saw a faint smile growing on her face before she turned to leave.

"Now we wait?" Theo raised an eyebrow.

"Now we wait."

* * *

 **Meanwhile in the Dungeons**

"Oi!" Why should we fight for Potter?" A fourth year yelled, and Draco rubbed his temples. He felt the polyjuice wearing off, and he knew it didn't make much sense taking anymore since the _real_ Blaise had showed up informing them that they were going to fight. Pansy had stunned Vincent and Greg the moment the Italian arrived, knowing that they would be two Slytherins that were definitely not going to be on their side.

Slughorn had arrived moments ago, out of breath and panting, smelling distinctly of Pineapple. He explained hurriedly that Snape had fled, and that they were to smuggle all of the younger years out of the castle. Any of the older years who wished to stay behind to fight, would be allowed to. Since he had delivered that little piece of news, the house had been divided and a bout of bickering had ensued.

"I thought you were a Death Eater!" A sixth year with crooked teeth, sneered; Draco rolled his eyes, he knew the boy was just being a prick, because Draco had been one of the most wanted wizards for over a month now.

"Fuck off, Laurence," Blaise scowled at the sixth year. "Why shouldn't you fight?" Blaise asked with a disdainful look as he addressed the Fourth year.

"You don't even count, Adrian," Draco said through clenched teeth, narrowing his eyes at Blaise, "you're underage."

"What? So what if I wanted to fight?" Adrian asked, cockily pushing past a couple scared second years. _Figures. The moment he was told he couldn't do it, he wanted to._

"No." Draco snapped.

"Slytherins stick together, and if you lot are fighting, then we should be allowed to fight!" Adrian insisted, flicking his blonde bangs out of his face.

"You're not of age!" Draco yelled, looming menacingly over the fourth year.

"You weren't of fucking age when you got branded were you?" Adrian shot back, but noticed his mistake the moment Draco growled at him, eyes flashing amber and gold, the steel grey lost somewhere in his irises' midst.

"Potter was my age when he participated in the Triwizard Tournament, when he went up against You-Know-Who when he returned," Adrian said quietly. Draco relaxed, his eyes returning to their normal colour. He walked forward and placed a hand on the boy's lanky shoulders.

"I know, Adrian. I'm sorry, I am, but we can't let you fight. We don't want any of you younger kids to get hurt," Draco said.

"Good. None of you younger kids will be fighting, end of discussion," Pansy said loudly, clapping her hands together. "There's no time to get your dolls or whatever you may consider valuable. You-Know-Who will be here soon, we need to get a move on now. Whoever wants to fight, and _is of age_ , will come to the Room of Requirement as well, but obviously, you won't leave. Let's go people!"

"Blaise," a soft voice said, and Draco turned to see Daphne was standing in front of Blaise, who rolled his eyes.

"First let's get rid of that excessive monstrosity on your finger," Blaise drawled, taking her left hand and removed the large stone off of her finger. Scrutinising it briefly before tossing it over his shoulder. "Salazar I've fucking missed you," Blaise sighed when he tugged her into him, roughly claiming his witch's mouth. Draco groaned softly. They didn't have time for this.

"I'm fighting," a voice said beside him, and he almost jumped since he had barely heard her come up beside him, even with his heightened hearing. She was highly skilled at stealth afterall.

"Astoria," Draco said, the corner of his lips twitching upwards, "you're not of age."

"Fuck being of age, Draco," Astoria said primly, examining her nails. The common room was now empty with the exception of them, Blaise and Daphne.

"I know your parents aren't directly involved, but you going to be okay with fighting against people you grew up knowing?" Draco asked, he knew how stubborn Astoria could be, she was not going to budge on this. Thankfully for the moment the castle was Death Eater free, at least he hoped it was. The Carrows were their main obstacle, they would just need to get them out of the way and they would be golden. How long it was going to remain that way, he had no idea.

"They made their decision," Astoria said simply. Normally her current attire would be considered indecent, but given the current circumstances he didn't think it worth mentioning. She was wearing a loose light blue nightgown that barely brushed mid thigh-it matched her eyes-and contrasted with her dark hair.

"Okay, you two!" Draco clapped his hands together, sensing Astoria following him as he headed towards Blaise and Daphne. "We have a war to win, and I get that you want nothing more than to shag each other senseless, but we'll have plenty of time for that later."

"Fine, Malfoy," Daphne groaned, "ruin all the fun why don't you?"

"Oh I'm so sorry that the war is an _inconvenience_ to you," Draco said sardonically.

"Prat," Daphne hit him on his arm as they all headed towards the exit.

"Piss off Greengrass," Draco scowled,

"Well fuck you too," Daphne grinned broadly.

"Greengrass, I'm a taken man, and I do believe that your wizard is standing right beside you-"

"C'mon, we need to get to the Room of Requirement," Blaise sighed-cutting Draco off-Daphne's hand laced in his. _I wonder where Hermione is?_ Draco thought absently as they headed out into the cold corridor. He threw up the hood of his cloak just in case, one could never be too safe. Wherever she was, he hoped she was being careful, he snorted as soon as the thought left his mind. Right. That was likely.

* * *

"That was clearly Red or Theo's handiwork," Blaise commented when he saw Alecto and Amycus's dead bodies. "Only thing I'm sorry about is that all those kids had to see that shit when they passed by here."

"C'mon, let's go," Draco said as the door to the Room of Requirement appeared, and they pushed it open, to be greeted with a large number of people, way more people than when Blaise had left.

"DRAY!" A voice yelled amongst the crowd, and he barely had time to register who it was, before she flung herself into his arms.

"Red," Draco sighed softly, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

Over her shoulder, he saw Sirius ruffling Potter's hair, Lupin's hand on the Chosen boy's shoulders.

"I missed you," Ginny breathed, her warm breath tickling the side of his face, her arms tightening around his neck.

"I missed you too, Red," Draco responded, his face breaking out into a full blown smile, Draco spotted Theo a few feet away.

"Lovely work outside by the way, either of you going into art at any point? You would create exquisite installations," Draco said with a straight face, and he winced when he felt Ginny pinch his shoulder.

"These may be our final moments together, Draco...and you're being a prat," Theo shook his head, grinning broadly. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"All the students are through?" Draco asked, and Theo nodded.

"The last of the underage Slytherins just left, the Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws and Gryffindors are also through," Theo answered.

"Okay! Everyone!" Sirius exclaimed loudly, "I know it's very comfy in here, but it's time for us to go and fight!" A loud roar of agreement came from the other occupants of the room, and soon everyone was filing out. Going to help strengthen the wards around the castle, and be ready to defend against attack.

"Son," Lucius said on his way out the door, Narcissa by his side, and Draco saw something in his eyes that he had been coveting for years-pride-his Father was proud of him. Judging from the glowing expression on his Mother's face, she was too.

"Be careful Draco," Narcissa pleaded, and Draco untangled himself from Ginny, who had been tucked into his side. He crossed the room and hugged his Mother, kissing her temple as he did.

"You too, both of you," Draco said, meeting his Father's gaze over his Mother's head. Lucius firmly nodded, smiling at Draco.

"I think it's time we showed them not to trifle with the Malfoys, don't you dear?" Lucius asked his wife as she let go of Draco and walked back over to her husband.

"We're going to show them what hell looks like," Narcissa said sweetly, daintily tucking her arm in the nook of her husband's elbow.

Draco chuckled softly as they left, and when he looked around he saw that Ginny, Theo, Luna, Harry and Blaise were the only ones left.

"Pansy and the other girls went down to fight with everyone else," Blaise said, answering Draco's silent question.

"I think it's time we get this over with? Don't you?" Ginny asked everyone, lips pressed into a grim line.

"Agreed," Theo said.

"Well first, we need to leave the room since it won't change when anyone is in it," Harry declared, to which they all nodded.

When they all spilled out into the corridor-the door closing and disappearing behind them-they see Hermione and Ron waiting, both dripping wet and panting.

"Hermione? Why are you all wet?" Draco frowned deeply, immediately striding to her side, and she kissed him chastely on the lips in greeting, she had several odd objects clasped in her hands, he wasn't exactly sure what they were, Weasley's had some in his hands as well.

"Where the hell have you been?" Harry shouted.

"Chamber of Secrets," said Ron.

"You were where?" Ginny's eyes widened exponentially, "what on earth for?"

"Remember Ron's idea to get rid of the horcrux?" Hermione said breathlessly, "it was brilliant really! Basilisk fangs!"

Draco's eyes dropped to the objects clutched in Ron and Hermione's arms: great curved fangs; torn, he now realized, from the skull of a dead basilisk.

"But how did you get in there?" Harry asked, staring from the fangs to Ron. "You need to speak Parseltongue!"

"He did!" whispered Hermione.

"So we're another Horcrux down," said Ron, and from under his jacket he pulled the mangled remains of Hufflepuff's cup. "Hermione stabbed it. Thought she should. She hasn't had the pleasure yet."

"Genius!" yelled Harry.

"Weasley was really the one to come up with this plan?' Theo asked skeptically. Draco was a bit stunned and filled with disbelief as well; perhaps Ron was smarter than most of the Slytherins gave him credit for.

"Shove off, Nott. Now what's the plan for finding the other one?" Ron asked.

"We have to go back into the Room, except we're going where you want to hide things," Draco responded.

"Well then kids, the Dark Lord waits for no one, and we've been dilly dallying long enough," Blaise announced cheerfully, clapping his hands together. He stepped up to the wall, and after a few moments, a door appeared. They quickly entered the room, and then Ron and Hermione proceeded to share out Basilisk fangs to everyone. Draco could see that they were all on edge.

They were in a place the size of a cathedral with the appearance of a city, its towering walls built of objects hidden by thousands of long-gone students.

"It looks like-" Harry started, but Theo cut him off, "we know what it looks like Potter, plus anyone who doesn't will just have to go with someone who does. Anyone not know what the diadem looks like?"

Ginny remained, silent, she knew what it looked like from when she had been in _his_ head, the only thing was she hadn't seen where in the castle it was, only that it was at Hogwarts. Otherwise they could have saved so much time.

Hermione sheepishly raised her hand, as did Ron, "Weasley you go with Blaise, Hermione you go with Draco," Theo commanded, and they both nodded their heads.

"Okay, let's go," Harry said, his nose scrunching up momentarily.

They sped off up adjacent aisles; Draco could hear the others' footsteps echoing through the towering piles of junk, of bottles, hats, crates, chairs, books, weapons,broomsticks, bats.

Deeper and deeper into the labyrinth he and Hermione went, his breath was loud in his ears, and then his very soul seemed to shiver. There it was, right ahead, on top of a blistered old cupboard, the pockmarked stone warlock wearing a dusty old wig and what looked like an ancient discolored tiara.

"That's it!" Draco whispered harshly, and at behind them he heard scuffing shoes noises, and he gritted his teeth when a gruff voice that he knew all too well said, "Draco!"

"Pansy clearly didn't stun you properly, or maybe it's how thick your skulls are," Draco snarled, turning on his heel and throwing up a shield automatically. He felt more than saw Hermione do the same, and he narrowed his eyes at the jeering faces of his former friends, standing shoulder to shoulder, wands pointing right at him.

"The mudblood?" Vincent sneered, "the Draco we know wouldn't have lowered himself to the point where he was fucking such filth."

The proximity of the Full Moon was not helping him at all in maintaining his cool, and insulting his witch was not going to do them any help in the long run. Draco stepped forward menacingly, but Hermione placed her hand on his forearm-halting him in his tracks.

"I'm fine, Draco. Calm down."

"I am calm," Draco gritted out, and he didn't even need to look at Hermione, to know that a knowing look of disbelief would be splayed across her features. Draco heard footsteps behind them, and he was loathe to look behind them, but Hermione turned around and she made a noise of relief.

"Fucking hell, didn't Pansy stun you?" Blaise's voice echoed out from behind him and Draco smirked. At least something was going right.

"Zabini!" Greg snarled, and Draco's eyes widened the boy's eyes filled with rage, and Draco barely heard the incantation he cast before flames roared and erupted out of his wand.

"Shit," Blaise swore and Draco barely heard him as the flames spread to the surrounding objects.

"Like it hot, scum?" roared Greg.

"RUN!" Draco yelled, reaching out and grabbing Hermione's hand, breaking out into a run, almost forgetting about the diadem entirely. He stopped abruptly and was about to reach for the diadem when Greg knocked heavily into him, throwing him to the ground. He looked up to see Vincent and Greg running, Blaise standing several feet away from them, and Draco could feel the heat practically licking at his boots; Hermione was by his side, the diadem in her grasp.

"Get up, Draco! Get up!"


	33. Battles and Diadems

**HELLO!**

 **So I'm going to say this now...please don't hate me. I worked quite hard on this chapter, and again, I'm really sorry. I may have teared up quite a bit when I was writing.**

 **We're getting closer and closer to the 'end' and it's amazing. It's been a year officially as of almost a week ago of when I started posting fics, which is mind boggling to me. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **I should say that there are some canon lines in here, they're italicised, but not everything written in italics is canon. It's mainly a few descriptions in the Room of Requirement. Besides that it's all mine.**

 **Please leave a review :)**

 **My tumblr: indiebluecrown. tumblr. com**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, only the storyline and any OC's belong to me.**

 **For Kitty Cat xxx**

* * *

 _Previously..._

 _He looked up to see Vincent and Greg running, Blaise standing several feet away from them, and Draco could feel the heat practically licking at his boots; Hermione was by his side, the diadem in her grasp._

 _"Get up, Draco! Get up!"_

* * *

Life is a series of moments, a collection of moments. Good, bad, mediocre-various kinds, all strung together by an invisible thread. Starting from the first cry as you enter the world, your first smile, first laugh, first word. To your first crush, first kiss, first dance, first heartbreak-all of it complied together is what makes up your life, what makes up who you are.

The air was uncharacteristically cold, the wind was whistling through the castle corridors sharply, there was a sense of finality, of foreboding in the air.

Not much was said, though there were hushed confessions, bruising kisses, tightly held hands throughout the castle in those final moments, the moments before the initial attacks.

Every moment that she had lived up until this point had come to this, where the was in this exact place, at that exact time. Being held by the man she loved as the castle walls shook, dust sprayed from the ceiling, and the floor beneath them quaked.

"They're almost in," Gwen commented lightly, and Charlie tightened his grip on her from behind, his arms wrapped around her shoulders.

Charlie didn't respond, words felt wrong, inappropriate almost. What did you say when death, pain and suffering was in their possible future, any words of comfort would seem like a hollow, unnecessary gesture.

They both saw it, the moment the wards shimmered, flickering and then thick cracks began to sharply spread across them, slithering as quickly as they could, moving towards the apex- until with a crinkling noise-the wards simply began to crumble away.

"How's your wand?" Charlie asked silently, moving to her side, his warmth leaving her, but she could still feel the heat radiating off his body. The wand Ollivander had sent her, had immediately sent a tingle through her body from her fingertips to her toes, a roaring fire bursting in her chest; it had felt like coming home, as if the puzzle pieces had settled back their rightful places, even if the corners were jagged and brittle.

"Grand, it's nice having a proper wand again, one that's my own," Gwen murmured, eyes sharply trained on the Death Eaters that began to charge into the castle.

"Do we-" Gwen would never know what Charlie was about to say, because three Death Eaters, flew straight through the corridor windows-smashing them, and glass flew everywhere-Charlie threw up a shield that protected them, and the Death Eaters landed on either side of them. Gwen quickly turned, feeling her back hit Charlie's.

"Gwen?" One of them quirked an eyebrow at her, and she recognised him. Fabian Montgomery, he was in her year at school; she remembered something else, he was a monumental prick with about three brain cells floating about in that hollow skull of his.

Gwen took advantage of his surprise at seeing her, and threw a severing hex straight for his wand arm. The spell cut straight through, his arm-now dead meat- falling to the ground with a loud thud; blood began to spurt out of his shoulder, as his strangled screams began to echo down the hall, which caused her to roll her eyes. _That is terribly annoying,_ she thought, growing irritated by his whining as he started to go on about how she _cut_ off his arm. Without sparing him another thought, she quickly stunned him, and moved on to his companion, her shields already up. Gwen was a bit rusty, otherwise they would both be dead by now.

"You _bitch_!" The other man snarled out viciously, his greasy blonde hair falling in his eyes.

" _Stupefy!_ " Gwen yelled, smiling as she felt her magic thrum, the red light flying out of her wand and hitting the man straight in the chest.

"Well done, love," Charlie smirked as the man collapsed on the ground, unsettling the thin layer of dust that now covered the ground, the sound of glass crunching underneath his heavy body ringing in her ears.

Gwen peeked out of the broken windows, careful not to cut herself on any of the remaining glass in the frame, flashes of multi-coloured light were flying about in the courtyard below them, she saw hordes of Dementors-too many to count-descending from the sky heading directly towards the students and teachers gathered down there.

A silvery, corporeal goat burst out of a wand and Gwen's eyes followed the source, seeing that it had come from Aberforth, the wire-grey haired man had his wand pointed upwards, transparent silver waves following the goat as lowered its huge head and charged towards the Dementors.

"We need to get down there," Gwen said, turning to Charlie, the redhead was looking at the scene below them with grim determination.

"I was just going to say the same thing," Charlie replied, not looking at her, he simply extended his hand, and without hesitation she grabbed ahold.

The pair began to run down the corridor, ducking and avoiding the debris that kept flying at them every time a stray spell hit the castle, sending chunks of stone and a spray of dust into the path at random times.

"Where do you suppose Harry and the others are?" Charlie asked as they ran, halting abruptly as a Death Eater crashed through the window, rolling once he hit the ground and turning towards them with a nasty smile; some of his teeth missing, what was left in his mouth were yellow and rotten, his eyes were bloodshot. _He's not too far from death, we'll be doing him a favour._

"No idea, but I hope things are going better for them on their end," Gwen answered through gritted teeth, as she gracefully began to barrage the spindly wizard in front of them with spells. To his credit, he wasn't as easy to defeat as her previous opponents. He put up an almost gallant effort, before he too lay on the corridor ground, body twisted unnaturally, brown eyes staring listlessly in their direction, a huge slash starting at the base of his neck, down to his rib on the other side of him, the cut ran deeply-all the way to the bone-his blood was flowing out of him, gushing out like a river onto the floor.

"I hope so too," Charlie whispered, once more looking downwards and spotting another student fall to the ground. "Let's go." Gwen took his hand again, and once more they set out on their venture. She was just praying that Theo and the others were safe. She'd lost him once before, she couldn't lose him again; she wouldn't survive what his loss would do to her, he was the only family she had left-the only family she cared about that is-Theodus Nott was dead to her. Hopefully he would be that way to the rest of society soon, and if she could, then she would make sure to see him on his way to the afterlife. It would be her pleasure.

* * *

"Do you hear something?" Theo asked, freezing in their search for the diadem, tipping his ear to their left, his brow furrowing in concentration. Ginny raised her wand, straining her ears to see if she could hear what he was referring to. Instead she heard a shoe scuff across the ground to her right, and she spun in that direction-feeling Theo follow her lead-awaiting whoever was about to round the corner; when Harry and Luna crept around it slowly, a spell had been ready on the tip of her tongue, but as soon as she saw the messy haired wizard and his silvery blue eyed companion she stopped. The bundle of nerves that had knotted themselves together in the pit of her stomach, loosened slightly as relief trickled through her system.

"Dammit, Potter," Theo sighed, lowering his wand. Ginny heard it again, the crackling noise, it seemed that their companions heard it as well, but she couldn't quite place the source, or what it could possibly be.

"I think we need to run now," Luna said seriously a split second later, tugging urgently on Harry's sleeve.

"Run from what, Lu?" Ginny asked curiously, but Luna had no need to answer her question since a moment later, she heard pounding footsteps, and frantic yelling. A roaring, billowing noise behind them gave them a moment's warning. Ginny turned and saw Ron, Blaise, Hermione, Draco, and Crabbe running as hard as they could up the aisle toward them, their feet slapping against the ground.

"I fucking leave you for one moment and this shit happens, Zabini!" Ginny heard Ron scream.

"Let's argue about that later, Weasley! Just, fucking, RUN!" Blaise yelled back, the dark skinned boy, he hastily wiped the back of his forehead with his forearm, sweat was dripping down all of their faces.

"You're fucking kidding me-" Theo started.

" _Fiendfyre_?" Ginny finished.

"RUN, dammit!" Hermione screamed at them, waving one hand wildly in front of her, Draco right beside her.

Soon they were all pelting down the aisle, _as they turned a corner the flames chased them as though they were alive, sentient, intent upon killing them. Now the fire was mutating, forming a gigantic pack of_ _fiery beasts: Flaming serpents, chimaeras, and dragons rose and fell and rose again, and the detritus of centuries on which they were feeding was thrown up into the air into their fanged mouths, tossed high on clawed feet, before being consumed by the inferno._

"LOOK!" Ron yelled, his voice barely audible over the flames' roar. Ginny followed his line of sight and saw a small collection of heavy-looking broomsticks. She could feel the heat wave from the fire quickly catching up to them.

"Brooms? That's your brilliant idea?" Hermione yelled, as they all abruptly stopped (Ginny knew that Hermione loathed flying, but desperate times called for desperate measures). Theo and Harry quickly handed them out, and Draco hopped on his broom, pulling his witch on with him. In moments they were in the air, and Ginny noticed that the diadem was clutched tightly in Hermione's grasp. Hermione's screams were lost in the deafening noise around them.

Ginny heard a sudden noise of surprise, and glanced over her shoulder to see that Crabbe was attempting to push Blaise towards the flames; Blaise whirled around, planting his feet firmly on the ground, a venomous look on his face-he elbowed Crabbed in the chest so there was some a bit of distance between them and then he raised his wand, pointing it directly in between Crabbe's eyes. Red light shot out of the tip of Blaise's wand, and slammed directly into Crabbe's face, which made the vast wizard stumble; and he fell heavily backwards onto the ground. Knocked out cold.

"We can't leave him!" Harry yelled at Blaise, who had already thrown his leg over his broom. The fire was getting closer, and they didn't have time to argue.

"If I die for him, Potter, I'm going to haunt you till the day you're put into the cold, hard ground," Blaise scowled; grunting as he dragged Crabbe's heavy, unconscious body onto his broom. After Blaise kicked off of the ground, the broom wobbled slightly, and how the large boy didn't fall off when Blaise shakily flew off into the air, she would never know.

Without a moment's hesitation more: Ron, Ginny and Theo pushed up off the ground, Harry and Luna on a broom right ahead of them. The flames seemed to sense their prey was getting away, and licked upwards, biting and snapping after them. _The smoke and heat were becoming overwhelming: Below them the cursed fire was consuming the contraband of generations of hunted students, the guilty outcomes of a thousand banned experiments, the secrets of the countless souls who had sought refuge in the room._

They were flying through the billowing black smoke, hardly able to breathe-all around them the last few objects unburned by the devouring flames were flung into the air, as the creatures of the cursed fire cast them high.

"No!" Ginny thought the voice was a part of her imagination, until she saw a glint ahead of her amongst the flames-the diadem falling in what seemed like slow motion-and Draco was diving downwards, hand outstretched; Hermione desperately holding onto him, a vice grip around his abdomen, her eyes tightly squeezed shut.

"DRAY!" Ginny screamed, and she was sure the flames were going to consume them, but then his fingers grabbed ahold of it, a thin tongue of flame almost hitting them and he was soaring upwards; she prayed the door to the room was still open, or this would have all been for nought.

The others ahead of her disappeared through the thick, black smoke and one moment her eyes were watering, and she felt like her lungs were concaving in on themselves, the next she burst into the corridor-with clean air-she took a deep, desperate intake of breath. The relief that filled her for a split second afterwards, at the ability to breathe properly again was short-lived; because then her vision wasn't as blurry after she blinked away the tears that had gathered in her eyes due to the heavy smoke, and she saw a wall right in front of her. With a muttered curse, she attempted to fly downwards, trying to somehow avoid it; yet she still ended up colliding with the corridor wall below them, she felt a sharp jolt radiate through her body as her left shoulder took the brunt of the hit. It wasn't as bad as she thought, which meant somehow had to have used a cushioning charm, even if it was a half-hearted one.

"Shit," Ginny groaned, peering out of one eye as she rolled off her broom, chest rising and falling heavily. The door to the Room of Requirement had vanished, leaving what looked like a normal stone wall. Ginny saw that her companions were all in a similar state to herself; Blaise was trapped beneath Crabbe's unconscious form, squirming and attempting to push off the heavier boy as he gasped for air.

Ginny shakily pushed herself onto her knees, and crawled over to the Italian, she was the closest, and the others were still getting their wits about them, not quite able to function properly yet. When she reached him, she kneeled beside him, and weakly waved her wand, the force of her spell shoving Crabbe off of Blaise's body.

"Thanks, Red," Blaise panted out, his body spread out on the ground like a starfish. Ginny nodded, but was still trying to catch her breath, and she fell back onto her bum, almost toppling over entirely before she caught herself.

Blaise stood up, knees knocking together for a moment before he gathered his bearings, and he swiftly kicked Crabbe in the side, "fucking prick! I almost died!" Ginny rolled her eyes at the dramatics of one of her best mates.

"The diadem?" Ginny heard Harry's voice call out weakly, and she glanced over to Draco and Hermione; Draco was clutching his left hand tightly, the skin of his fingers pink, angry-looking, and heavily blistered. Lying on the ground in front of him, in between his outstretched legs was the diadem, it was still hot, and blackened with soot.

A blood like substance, dark and tarry, seemed to be leaking from the diadem.

Draco jerked backwards when the diadem began to vibrate violently, then it broke apart on the ground, and as it did so, she could have sworn that she heard the faintest, most distant scream of pain, echoing not from the grounds or the castle, but from the thing that had just fragmented before their very eyes.

"It must have been the fiendfyre!" Theo and Hermione said at the same time, both sharing a quick, impressed look.

"Now what?" Ron rasped out, sitting up and scooting backwards until his back was resting against the wall.

Everyone's faces were blackened, and quite a few of them had singed hair, their sweat was trickling out of their pores, leaving them all a sweaty mess; the smell of smoke clung to their hair, clothes and skin, overpowering their natural musks and any other scents. There was a tinge of a metallic, tangy smell twisted and mixed with everything else; blood.

"All we need now is the Snake," Hermione sighed softly, her head falling forward and landing on Draco's shoulder, she raised her hand, her wand pointed at his hand, and a soft blue light encased the damaged skin. Almost immediately he let out a relieved noise, clearly whatever spell Hermione cast was alleviating his pain, and mending his hand, even if only a little bit.

"Who is going to-" Ginny started, _but she broke off as yells and shouts and the unmistakable noises of dueling filled the corridor._ Ginny _looked around and_ her _heart seemed to fail: Death Eaters had penetrated Hogwarts. Fred and Percy had just backed into view, both of them dueling masked and hooded men._

Everyone got up in a hurry, their fatigue and exhaustion fading away quickly, as their reality kicked in. _Shakily getting their footing, they all ran forward to help: Jets of light flew in every direction and the man dueling Percy backed off, fast._

 _Then his hood slipped and they saw a high forehead and streaked hair –_

 _"Hello, Minister!" bellowed Percy, sending a neat jinx straight at Thicknesse, who dropped his wand and clawed at the front of his robes, apparently in awful discomfort."Did I mention I'm resigning?"_

 _"You're joking, Perce!" shouted Fred as the Death Eater he was battling collapsed under the weight of three separate Stunning Spells. Thicknesse had fallen to the ground with tiny spikes erupting all over him; he seemed to be turning into some form of sea urchin. Fred looked at Percy with glee._

 _"You actually are joking, Perce. . . . I don't think I've heard you joke since you were –"_

 _The air exploded._ Before Ginny was thrust into the air, seeing that a huge chunk of wall was about to fall on Fred, she desperately threw out a spell, and saw it crumble into dust. Hoping, praying that everyone was going to be okay. She clung to her wand, and threw her hands up above her head, shielding herself from any stray debris as the world was tilted on it's side.

 _Then the world resolved itself into pain and semidarkness: she was half buried in the wreckage of a corridor that had been subjected to a terrible attack. Cold air told her that the side of the castle had been blown away, and hot stickiness on her cheek told her that she was bleeding copiously._

Panic immediately flooded her system, as she shifted the rubble off of herself, and looked around. _Theo, Blaise, Draco, Hermione, Ron, Luna, everyone, please tell me they are okay. Percy! Fred!_

Wincing, she stood up, and she almost collapsed again out of relief when she saw Theo, Blaise and Draco stand up. Draco was screaming Hermione's name, and he ran over to where the Golden Trio was pushing rubble off of themselves. Falling onto his knees by her side. Harry had held Luna protectively in his arms when the wall had burst open. She saw that everyone had new cuts and wounds from the debris.

"Oi, that was definitely unexpected," Fred grumbled, sitting up, pushing a dead Death Eater off of himself. Ginny's heart swelled with hope, joy. No one had been injured, and then she heard a strangled cry come from Ron's mouth, and her world was plunged into darkness and despair once more.

"No," she whispered out softly. She began to run towards her brother, bypassing a seemingly unharmed Crabbed on the ground, and rocks of various shapes and sizes, weaving her way as to not trip and fall.

"I'm...fine," Percy murmured when she reached him, Fred and Ron were clutching at his robes, their cries filled with agony. Ginny collapsed to the ground beside his knee, holding onto his leg. Percy coughed, it was a wet noise, and blood tinged his lips.

"No. You are not going to die, Percival. Do you hear me?" Ginny cried, her salty tears cutting tracks through the dirt, sweat and grime on her face. She crawled over him to his other side, one hand moving to rest on his chest.

"I love you all," Percy sputtered, a dribble of blood spit leaking out the corner of his mouth, the pallor of his skin was paling by the moment, until his veins were standing out harshly in the dim light.

"You. Are. Not. Dying," Ginny snarled through her sobs, her vision blurring. She didn't know what had come over her, she didn't know where it came from, but her entire body began to heat up, and it felt like she was drawing from her magical core itself. A surge of magic burst to the surface. She wasn't aware of anything aside from the soft gasp that fell from her brother's lips, and the magic that was flowing from her fingertips and disappearing into his chest.

"Red...what did you just do," Blaise whispered almost reverently as she fell back on her heels, feeling drained. Percy sat up, albeit slowly, and wincing, but he wasn't as deathly pale as before-his skin was slowly pinking up- neither did he look like he was standing on death's doorstep.

"Well...that was something," Ron sighed, falling backwards onto the ground, leaning all his weight onto his hands.

None of them knew what to say after that, and Ginny looked around at the rest of them in a daze. "I told you you weren't going to die," she mumbled before falling backwards onto the ground, all of her energy suddenly gone. Blinking up at the ruined ceiling, the cold air from inside hitting her, and she felt a set of arms lift her up. She heard yelling, and out of the corner of her eyes she caught flashes of light. Then the exhaustion took over and she slid into darkness.

* * *

Blaise's entire body ached, but he kept up with the others, the heat of battle, and the need to survive trumping any aches or pains that were vibrating through his body.

A monstrous spider the size of a small car was trying to climb through the huge hole in the and Harry shouted together; their spells collided and the monster was blown backward, its legs jerking horribly, and it vanished into the darkness.

"It brought friends!" Harry called to the others, glancing over the edge of the castle through the hole in the wall the curses had blasted. More giant spiders were climbing the side of the building, liberated from the Forbidden Forest, into which the Death Eaters must have penetrated.

"Is Ginny alright?" Hermione yelled as she tossed a spell over her shoulder at another one of the spiders.

"I think so!" Theo yelled back, sticking close to Draco who was covering him since his witch was currently taking up both of his arms. "I think she just exhausted herself to the point that she fainted.

"Seriously powerful little witch we have on our hands. Remind me never to piss her off," Blaise muttered, stunning another one of the arachnids, backing away as they retreated into the castle.

Blaise saw many people running backward and forward, whether friends or foes he could not tell. _Rounding the corner, Percy let out a bull-like roar: "ROOKWOOD!" and sprinted off in the direction of a tall man,who was pursuing a couple of students._

"He just came back to life, yet he's already charging back into battle?" Blaise shook his head, ducking under a spell, and firing another one back in the direction of the masked, hooded man that had sent one hurling his way.

"We need to go down to the courtyard!" Fred yelled, some of his bangs falling in his eyes-he was peeking one of the windows, at least it would have been one had all the glass not have been gone. Whatever it was he was seeing, it couldn't be good.

"Okay, split up, we need to find the snake!" Harry grabbed ahold of his sleeve, and whispered harshly, Blaise nodded.

Truly all he wanted to do was to find Daphne, and make sure she was okay. He understood however that finding the snake was their first priority.

He also knew that everyone in the courtyard and the rest of the castle needed help.

"Oi, Potter!" Blaise roughly grabbed Harry's jacket sleeve before the boy went to move away.

"Some of us need to fight, you, Hermione, Luna and Ron, you guys go find the snake. We'll go fight," Blaise waited for Harry's response. The messy haired wizard's mouth was pressed into a thin line, his glasses were covered in a thin layer of grime, but obviously he either hadn't noticed or he simply didn't care since there were more pressing matters now.

Harry nodded curtly, and Blaise squeezed the boy's forearm, "you're half decent, Potter...don't die."

Harry merely smiled tightly, which made a weird feeling trickle down Blaise's spine, but then Harry was moving away and telling the others the plan, whilst Hermione had thrown up a shield.

Then it was like how they began, the three Slytherin boys and their ginger haired girl. Blaise looked down at Ginny in Theo's arms, and her eyes fluttered open. Theo gently put her down, wrapping an arm around her ribs, and holding onto her hand that was thrown over his shoulder. Blaise saw Harry and the others run in the opposite direction, Harry made a noise in anguish and he stopped suddenly. He hit Ron's arm and then pointed in a vague direction. Which is when they changed their direction.

 _His connection to Voldemort must be leading him towards the snake._

"Let's give them, hell," Ginny snarled lowly, looking weaker than normal, her hair hanging in limp clumps around her face.

"You sure you up for this, Red?" Blaise asked her gently, touching her cheek, absently throwing a _stupefy_ at a Death Eater who was charging in their direction.

Ginny reached into her pocket, retrieving a small vial, she managed to flick out the stopper, and then she tossed her head back, downing the potion.

"I'm brilliant," she said simply, turning to Theo and smiling before she tried to stand on her own. Her steps weren't as solid as he would have liked, and he shared a look with Draco and Theo before he decided that he would simply have to protect her; like she had protected them so many times in the past.

* * *

They were making their way down staircases, jumping over gaps where bits of staircase had been blasted away. Firing spells at anyone that seemed less than friendly.

Ginny saw Lavenders panting heavily in the middle of a corridor, long scratches across her chest and face. She broke away from the boys, ignoring Theo's protests that she barely heard. She pulled a vial of dittany out of her back pocket. She didn't have a lot, but Lavender needed it more than she did.

"Ginny…" Lavender rasped, eyes darting about nervously, her breathing sped up. She was clearly terrified, frightened that she was going to die.

"This is going to hurt, I'm sorry," Ginny grimaced, before she pulled out the cork, and carefully tipped the bottle, letting the drops fall inside the deep cuts that were carved into the older girl's flesh. Murmuring apologies with every drop, as Lavender's whimpers got louder. The skin was knitting itself back together, and hopefully this meant the scarring would be reduced. She had no idea how long Lavender had been here.

"Thank you," Lavender whispered before her eyes closed slowly, Ginny put two fingers to her neck and felt for a pulse; it was there, which meant Lavender had drifted off to sleep.

"C'mon Red, we need to go," Draco said from her side, she hadn't even heard him come up next to her. His facial expression was strained and stressed, she knew he recognised who had caused Lavender's injuries.

"I am going to kill him," Ginny promised softly, she hated all this death, but she knew that some people were never going to have any remorse for their actions, and no amount of time in Azkaban was going to change that.

She got up and followed after Draco and the others, they were almost on the ground floor now and the fighting had intensified the closer they got to the courtyard. Ginny spotted McGonagall singlehandedly taking on three Death Eaters.

She saw Blaise break away from them and run across the entrance hall to Daphne, Pansy and Astoria's side. The girls didn't look nearly as well put together as they normally did. Instead they looked like well seasoned fighter, hair flying everywhere, angry, determined expressions on their faces.

Then the world ended. It simply ended, it was like everything good was sucking out of the air violently, all meaning and purpose was gone. An orange flash of light, she saw it with startling clarity slam into Blaise, tossing him easily into the air and smashing him into the wall. Where he slid down, and crumpled in a heap.

"NO!" Ginny was screaming, and she made a noise she didn't even know she could, and arms wrapped tightly around her, stopping her from throwing herself into the fray. They too were making an agony filled noise, pained and it was all she heard. She saw Theo, rage, fear and grief all battling on his face, contorting it into a deadly look as he ran past them, halting abruptly.

"I knew the Zabini brat was no good," Theodus Nott said from in front of them, a prim smile on his face, his mask held loosely in his free hand, his wand lazily pointing at Blaise. "Now son, I think we have a lot to discuss."


	34. Revenge

**HELLO MY LOVELIES!**

 **The number of reviews I got last chapter about Theodus were amazing, also a few of them made me giggle at the pure fury that everyone seems to feel for him.**

 **This chapter isn't as long as my other recents ones have been, it's more 'normal' chapter length.**

 **Seriously, you all make me so happy! I'm so, so glad that everyone liked the last chapter as much as they did :D**

 **I hope this chapter leaves you all as satisfied reading it as I was writing it.**

 **My tumblr: indiebluecrown. tumblr. com (Come and talk to me about things :P)**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's belong to me.**

 **This chapter is dedicated to the ever lovely chic. geek. fangirl. freak, who has literally been here since the beginning, and my wonderful Kitty Cat! xxx I love you both.**

* * *

 _Previously…_

 _"I knew the Zabini brat was no good," Theodus Nott said from in front of them, a prim smile on his face, his mask held loosely in his free hand, his wand lazily pointing at Blaise. "Now son, I think we have a lot to discuss."_

* * *

 **Flashback**

 **Saturday, August 2nd, 1997**

 **Nott Cottage**

She felt his warm breath bathe across the side of her face, before she was conscious enough to properly hear what he was whispering in her ear.

 _"_ Mmm," Ginny hummed as she cracked open her eyes for the first time that morning, grateful that it was rainy and dreary outside, so the light wasn't as harsh on her eyes.

 _"_ Morning," Theo murmured, and Ginny smiled faintly, rolling onto her back and looking up at the wizard who was hovering over her.

 _"_ Morning, love," Ginny yawned, one hand lazily moving to cover her mouth, the other reaching upwards to grasp his nape, playing with the small curls she found.

"No regrets about the whole leaving your family yesterday thing, right?" Theo asked softly, ensuring to keep his facial expression impassive.

"Not one," Ginny responded easily, gently applying pressure to the back of his neck and pulling him down to her. She gave him a chaste kiss on the lips; his lips were slightly cracked and the rough feeling on hers made her hum absently.

"I should mention that today you get to meet Blaise and Draco...properly that is," Theo commented lightly when he pulled away.

"Is that so-"

"Oi, Theo. You want a cup of tea or some food?" A voice asked loudly, as she heard the hinges of the door creak sharply as it was thrown open. Theo's body was currently blocking her view of the door, but she could hear the heavy footsteps making their way to her side of the bed.

Ginny angled her face to the right, and she saw a dark skinned boy, with wavy black hair, high cheekbones, and an arrogant smile spread across his features. She recognised him-Blaise Zabini, he was the one Theo had been telling her about; she recalled seeing him about the castle, almost always running a hand backwards through his dark curls.

"Oh. Weasley, it appears you're fully clothed, even if your attire is a bit risque...hmmm I suppose that means I have a few sickles for Draco," Blaise mused thoughtfully, stroking his chin.

"You're a real prat, you know that?" Theo groaned, his head falling onto the pillow next to Ginny's head; she had to inhale sharply after Theo rested his full body weight on the length of her body.

"I'm the prat who's making breakfast," Blaise grinned, "so play nice."

Blaise turned to Ginny then, all smiles, and in a velvety tone, his eyes not leaving hers for a second he said, "Blaise Zabini, resident prat as Theodore so kindly pointed out. Brilliant wizard, and one of the _best_ cooks you will ever meet."

Ginny thought he was done, but then his eyes hardened to dark stone-his pleasant smile still on his face-and he added, "hurt Theodore and I will make you rue the day you ever met me."

* * *

She was right there, honey blonde hair falling out of her bun, messily sticking out in every direction. Facing off against a giant-of all things-towering over her, with her sister and Pansy by her side.

Blaise was running as fast as he can, and the biggest mistake he made was not paying attention to his surroundings. He was so desperate to get to her side, he wasn't thinking clearly. He didn't notice the grinning figure on his left, the way their blue eyes sparked with joy, or that they had raised their wand.

Then an immense force crashed into his side, it felt as if he had been hit by a train going at full speed. He caught a glimpse of her as he sailed through the air, somehow he managed to hold onto the stick in his hand, the only weapon he had left. Then the wind was knocked out of him as he slammed against the stone wall, and from the snap he heard, he knew something was broken.

His vision blurred in and out, and he saw shoes, feet running about, moving to and fro; off into the distance he saw flashes of light. Soon everything blended together, the colours all melting and mixing into a blur, and before he knew it, it had all faded to black.

* * *

 **Present**

Theodus's eyes darted from Ginny, Draco-who was holding her back-and then to Theo, "well this is certainly interesting."

"You fucking cunt!" Ginny screamed-her throat felt raw; the loud, sudden noise drew some of the nearby witches and wizards' attention for a moment, but they all quickly went back to fighting their own battles.

Everything felt so cold, and she could feel the wind prickle against the dried blood on her forehead and the grime covered her body. It seemed as if all hope had been snuffed out in that single moment, the image of Blaise smashing against the wall played in her mind over and over like a broken record.

"She's got fire, I wonder what it tastes like," Theodus grinned toothily, "is she yours son?" The older wizard's voice coldly slapped her across the face, and she snapped back into her reality, a reality where there was no Blaise.

Theo clenched his jaw, lips pressed together in a thin, white line. Ginny knew he was thinking, trying desperately to figure a way out of this one.

There were three of them and one of him, but they were all a little emotionally unstable at the moment. The toll of her constant magical use was beginning to wear away at her edges, and her body was getting heavier by the minute. How easy would it be, to slide out of Draco's grasp and curl up on the cold stone, amongst the debris, letting sleep claim her.

"Oh I will have fun playing with her," Theodus smirked, giving Theo an almost pitying look, "I'm sure the Dark Lord will forgive your misgivings, Theodore. A little grovelling, and he may, just may spare your pathetic existence," the man finished with a dark sneer, face contorted and twisted with disgust.

"You're dead," Ginny snarled, filling her words with as much venom as she could muster, every heavy breath that came out of her mouth shifting the hair that had fallen in her face.

A thunderous, hearty laugh came from the man not ten feet in front of them, "Oh, that is precious little Weasley, but who's going to kill me? You?" Theodus shook his head in amusement, crossing his arms over his chest, as if daring her to take her best shot.

Then Ginny saw a flash of movement behind Theodus, a pale arm wrapped around him, grabbing his face, another came from the other side, and she barely saw the metal's shine before the thin, short blade plunged into the side of his neck, buried to the hilt.

They all froze as surprise flooded his features, his hand carefully moving to his neck. Theodus stumbled forward, bent at the middle, coughing up a spurt of crimson blood, causing it to spray across the ground in front of him, a drop hanging onto his bottom lip, his eyes were bulging slightly. Then he fell onto his side, the sapphire encrusted silver handle almost scraping the stone floor. Ginny was speechless as his wand rolled out of his hand, and his eyes were darting around frantically, blood was flowing openly from the wound, and spreading out on the ground around him.

As he choked on his own blood: blue eyes that were so similar to the one she loved, locked on his assailant, widening a fraction when he met eyes that matched his own.

Gwen was standing there, hands covered with blood, her wand tucked into her front pocket, her mouth and jaw smothered with crimson, the sticky liquid slowly dripping from her chin.

"No. That pleasure is all mine," Gwen said coldly, she squatted down beside him, forearms resting on her thighs. "I want the last thing you see in this world to be my face. I want you to know that I beat you. I won...and guess what? I'm going to marry the same blood traitor that you locked me away for falling in love with."

Theodus sputtered angrily, his right arm flailing in her direction, the other still pressed into his neck. Gwen easily batted his hand away, and she smiled sweetly as his arm fell limply to the side. "Goodbye Theodus."

Theodus's body twitched before finally he lay on the cold ground, still, eyes staring but unseeing at his daughter.

"Gwen!" Ginny heard a voice yell from the door to the Entrance Hall, and footsteps, and she managed to tear her shocked gaze away from the dead body at Gwen's feet in time to see Charlie jogging towards them.

"I may have torn out some throats in my animagus form," Gwen shrugged when she noticed that they were all staring at her.

Charlie stopped short by Gwen's side, "you're insane you know that? Running across the battlefield with your wand in your pocket," Charlie panted, turning to face the other way, throwing a spell at a Death Eater who was charging their way.

"I spotted him come in here," Gwen said, pointing with her left index finger at her Father's corpse.

It was then that Charlie glanced over his shoulder and noticed just who was on the ground in front of his fiancee. "Fuck."

Draco slackened his vice grip on Ginny, and she would have fallen had Theo not lunged forward and caught her.

"You need to-"

Suddenly, without any warning, _Voldemort's voice reverberated from the walls and floor, and Theo realized that he was talking to Hogwarts and to all the surrounding area, that the residents of Hogsmeade and all those still fighting in the castle would hear him as clearly as if he stood beside them, his breath on the back of their necks, a deathblow away._

 _"You have fought," said the high, cold voice, "valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery. Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste."_

 _"Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat immediately. You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured."_

 _"I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman, and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour."_

* * *

 _Blaise,_ it was the only thought that was running through his mind. Draco made sure that Theo had a firm grasp on Ginny, and without pausing a moment longer, he sprinted across the hall, only seeing the crumpled body of his best mate.

Blaise couldn't be dead.

 _"You're a bit weird...I think I'll do you a favour and be your friend," the six year old had said haughtily, hands on his hips, grinning brightly_.

 _"I'm a Malfoy, you should be glad I want to be_ _ **your**_ _friend_ ," _Draco had replied, nose in the air._

 _"I like you," Blaise had laughed then, it was a nice sound Draco thought. He didn't think he'd ever heard anyone laugh with such abandon before. Not that he could recall anyway._

Blaise could not be dead.

Draco vaulted over a large chunk of wall that had broken off from around the window, desperate in his need to get to his friend's side.

 _"You're a real git," Draco scowled when Blaise winked at him from the doorway._

 _"What? I simply told Pansy that you have a nasty rash near your...family jewels, and voilá, no more Parkinson trying to get in your pants," Blaise smirked devilishly._

 _"She's also a huge gossip...when word gets around then none of the girls will want to come anywhere near me or my cock," Draco snarled._

 _"The only girl you want near your cock wouldn't touch you with a ten foot pole anyways...unless it's to punch you," Blaise cackled._

 _"Shut the fuck up," Draco sneered. "I don't see you getting any girls coming around you either."_

 _"Don't need to see them my friend, but trust me, I've got plenty of birds around," Blaise winked saucily, and Draco groaned, throwing his pillow at his chuckling friend as Blaise left their dorm room._

Draco felt like all the air around him had been sucked into a vacuum, his throat constricting uncomfortably as he looked down at his friend. A copious amount of blood was pouring out of a deep gash on the right side of his head like a river, his temple was resting against the ground.

Draco didn't know what to do, he shakily reached out and pressed two fingers to the side of Blaise's neck, and he almost jumped out of his skin.

It was faint, thready, barely there…but it was there; a pulse.

The hot tears welled up in his eyes and his vision blurred, he blinked and he felt them start to roll down his cheeks.

"TEDDY. RED. HE'S ALIVE!" Draco screamed, his voice cracking and breaking on the last syllable as he broke down into body wracking sobs.

"Out the way, out the way!" Draco heard ring in his ears, and he was being roughly grabbed by his upper arms and moved out the way.

"No!" Draco yelled, but through his tears he saw the back of a woman, and he recognised her as Madam Pomfrey.

"I need to get him into the Great Hall! Now! We need to set up cots, and I need everything from the infirmary!" Madam Pomfrey instructed, Draco hadn't even noticed that she stood up or that she was directly in front of him. Not until she jabbed a finger into his chest.

"Mister Malfoy! I understand how you feel, but I need you to help me, I've seen the work you've done on the students the Carrows wouldn't let me treat. I need a skilled hand to help me tend to the wounded, so stop weeping, and get to work!"

Draco nodded dumbly, and when he turned around he saw that Neville was behind him.

"I'll go help with getting the supplies!" Dean exclaimed, right behind Neville next to Seamus, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ginny and Theo both hurriedly making their way over to their location, albeit a bit slowly because Ginny was limping. Ginny's hand moving to cover her mouth when she saw Blaise.

Draco squeezed her shoulder when he strode past her, sharing a pained look with Theo. That was their brother on the ground.

"I know a shortcut," Dean said when Draco joined his side.

"Lead the way," Draco replied, he clenched his shaking hands and sprinted after the taller, brown skinned boy as he led the way to the Infirmary.

* * *

 _"TEDDY. RED. HE'S ALIVE!"_ Daphne heard the scream from behind her; she had been preoccupied with checking a nasty cut that ran from Astoria's temple in between her eyebrows and ending across her face in the middle of her cheek.

 _I know that voice,_ Daphne thought with a furrowed brow, and when she turned around it was if someone had thrown a hard kick directly into her heart-which stopped beating for a moment.

She didn't even think, all she did was run, she saw Draco getting pulled away from Blaise's body, and then he was running off with Dean, a Gryffindor if she recalled correctly. None of that mattered to her aside from reaching his side, before she could reach him, a set of arms caught her. She had been so close, he wasn't even five feet away. A shooting pain was stabbing her in the chest and it was still difficult to breathe.

Her blue eyes looked up at who was holding her to their chest, and saw Neville looked down at her with his bruised and battered face; during the battle, the deep cut across his cheek had re-opened so he was bleeding once more.

"Let me go, Longbottom!" Daphne demanded, throwing herself against his arms, kicking and wriggling furiously. She needed to get to him. In the midst of her struggling, she noticed that Pomfrey was levitating Blaise's body behind her as she headed towards the vast doors to the Great Hall.

Neville merely held her, making soft noises, his hand stroking her head tenderly. Then she stopped fighting, feeling defeated as she relaxed into Neville's embrace, unable to do anything else.

"Pomfrey has got him, Greengrass, she'll take care of him," Neville said comfortingly, now gently guiding her by her shoulder towards the Great Hall.

 _I hope you're right Longbottom. I hope you're right._

* * *

Ginny hobbled over to where her family was gathered around someone on the ground, her heart stopping _again_ for the night. Air flooded her lungs when she noticed, that whilst his bone was jutting out of his thigh, a dark stain around the wound, her Father was alive and well.

Arthur Weasley was sitting up, but only his ankles had been peeking out from the angle she was at moments before, his hands were gingerly pressing a blood soaked cloth to his leg, he was breathing in and out harshly.

Molly was kneeling on the ground beside her husband, her voice shaking as she told him to apply more pressure; 'Not too much, but enough to stop the bleeding.' She swatted his hands away seconds later, muttering about how she would do it herself as she gingerly carefully moved her hands to his legs, fingers hovering uncertainly for a moment before she gritted her teeth and pressed her fingers into his thigh. The crimson quickly staining her fingers as Arthur's head was thrown back in anguish, a garbled yell if pain bursting out of his mouth.

"Oh, I'm sorry, dear," Molly apologised immediately, face filled with guilt that she couldn't ease his pain. "Boys, do either of you have a pain potion-" Molly's head turned to look up at her sons, but she instead caught sight of Ginny, her arm thrown over Theo's shoulder as he held onto her forearm, his other hand on her waist supporting most of her weight.

"Ginny!" Molly exclaimed.

"Blimey, Ginny!" Fred said, eyes wide, "you look-"

"Lovely," George cut off his twin, subtlety elbowing him in the side, (no one aside from her saw the sneaky move, or Fred's strained smile).

At that moment however Harry, Ron and Hermione burst into the room, all heavily panting. Everyone barely paid them any mind as most people were either thrown over dead bodies, weeping and mourning their loved ones, or running about attempting to aid Madam Pomfrey in tending to the injured.

A few small groups of students had taken it upon themselves to go in search of the wounded or dead, and they were steadily bringing them in every so often.

"You need to rest," Theo whispered in her ear, and she wanted to protest, but before she could, her body seemed to take his words as an invitation and she sagged against him.

She fought to keep her eyes open, but her eyelids were immensely heavy, as if small weights were hanging from them.

She absently felt his hands on her and then with a soft protest on her lips she slipped into a deep slumber.

* * *

Theo gently placed Ginny on a faded yellow sheet next to her Father, crouching beside her.

Theo breathed heavily through his nostrils, brushing the strands of hair out of her face, and he rubbed his knuckle against her cheek briefly before bracing his hands on his thighs and pushing upwards as he stood up. Since the battle was 'over' for now, the stress of the night was starting to make itself abundantly clear in his sore and aching muscles. He placed his left hand on his right shoulder, wincing as he raised his right arm and then rotated it. A sharp pain travelled from the socket to his shoulder blade and he hissed softly.

Theo strode back over to just below Mister Weasleys feet, Missus Weasley smiled softly at him when he stopped by their side.

He saw that she was about to say something when yelling and a loud commotion from the door stopped him.

 _Gwen?_ Theo frowned deeply, instinctively taking a small step forward, still holding onto his opposite shoulder.

From this distance he couldn't make out who was in her arms, but whoever it was, their arm was hanging down limply, dark, sticky liquid dripping from their fingertips.

Gwen's face was contorted with grief and desperation, without realising what he was doing Theo broke out into a sprint. Ignoring the way his knee was creaking, how his lungs burned or how his shoulder was shooting pain every time his feet hit the ground.

He stopped short right in front of her, Charlie kneeling on the ground beside her, hugging himself tightly, rocking back and forth.

"Help me! Please!" Gwen begged hoarsely, eyes filled to the brim with tears, falling to her knees, still cradling the motionless body. Theo vaguely recognised the woman clasped tightly in his sister's arms, though he couldn't quite put his finger on who she was. Until he heard the strangled, broken noise that came from over his shoulder.

Lupin had fallen to the ground, and Black was behind him, arms wrapped around his friend's shoulders; Black was silently weeping, his face twisted with pain and agony.

Hearing the noise that came from Lupin was painful, it shot a dart into his heart with every gasp, shudder and intake of breath that the older man took. It was if a piece of him died. Lupin's body was shaking as he crumpled into himself, as if he was trying to disappear into nothingness. The only thing that seemed to be keeping him together was Black tightly holding him.

It was then, in that moment, that he knew exactly who was clutched in Gwen's arms.

Nymphadora Tonks.

* * *

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 **Love,**

 **Indieblue xxx**


	35. Dead

**HELLO!**

 **Okay, so I apologise in advance for any feelings you may feel or tears you may shed during this chapter. I am sorry...ish. I also think it best to note that this chapter...as well as all of my work (for the most part) is un-beta'd. I have yet to figure that out, so for now, all gross spelling mistakes are all on me.**

 **Thank you all for your reviews! You are all so lovely! I think there are two chapters (maybe) now before the war is over. The end is nigh, and it is a bittersweet feeling.**

 **I wanted to post this on a Friday, and since it is the wee hours of the morning, yet still Friday, I think this counts, don't you? :P**

 **Please leave a review :)**

 **My tumblr: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's belong to me.**

* * *

 **Flashback**

 **Earlier that Evening**

There were a myriad of smells hitting her full on, so much so that she didn't know what to focus on, all she knew was that due to her heightened senses she was smelling _everything_. Death, fear, blood, sweat, and other things that she didn't have the time to try and discern, all she knew was they were clogging up her senses, giving her a sensory overload.

There was still a slight ringing in her ear from an explosion that had gone off mere feet away from her, sending her and Tonks sailing through the air.

She felt light-headed and dizzy as she tried to focus on the blurry images in front of her. She felt around on the ground, amongst the dirt and the rubble, trying to get her bearings. On unsteady legs, she stood up, her lower back aching, and a constant twitching in her left leg. She ignored it all, pulling the wand she had tucked into her front pocket out.

Then she was sharply snapped back into the present when a warm hand grasped her shoulder. She glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw bright red hair; Tonks.

"You know we haven't had a chance to catch up properly," Tonks said cheerily, and Gwen felt herself smile, shaking her head; her surroundings were still spinning a little, but she tried to keep her attention on any foes and on Tonks.

"You want to chat now?" Gwen laughed at the absurdity of the idea, they were in the middle of an intense battle, where people were dying, yet Nymphadora Tonks wished to _chit chat._

"Let's start with where you've been," Tonks smiled brightly, turning around and letting her back hit Gwen's, her wand raised.

"Locked away in a basement," Gwen said coolly.

"Ah, explains why you're so pale," Tonks teased.

"Fuck off, Tonks," Gwen smiled good-naturedly. She had always liked the Hufflepuff in school, she downright clumsy, but she was a powerful, kind and fun witch.

"Do you need help getting rid of the bastard that wronged you?" Tonks said seriously.

"No, thanks, but no. He's _mine_ ," Gwen snarled. Gwen felt Tonks's back muscles move against hers as she threw a spell at a Death Eater who was advancing on the two women. They were right outside the Entrance Hall, it was where the majority of the fighting was going on. Gwen spotted a few Ravenclaw students ganging up on a Death Eater, gracefully throwing spells she was sure they didn't teach on the Hogwarts curriculum; she knew they were Ravenclaws by their multi-coloured hair and their inked skin, not to mention for some reason a few of them had on their scarves.

"So, a little birdy tells me that you Notts sure do like your Weasleys," Tonks shot over her shoulder with a dazzling smile.

"Charlie you mean?" Gwen cackled, throwing her head back, parrying the Death Eater on the end of her wand easily.

The Weasley himself had joined them a moment ago, and Gwen glanced in his direction, only to spot that Tonks had changed her face into an exact replica of Charlie.

"You're such an annoying Puff," Gwen elbowed the other witch playfully.

"And you're a cold snake," Tonks chuckled, as her features morphed back into her regular ones.

"I'm glad my two favourite girls are getting along and all, really, it's lovely, it is...but we _really_ don't have time for…" Charlie looked between the two of them in disbelief, "whatever is happening here."

"No time like the present," Tonks winked at Charlie, whirling around suddenly and incapacitating the Death Eater that was trying to sneak up on them.

Gwen began to laugh, but when she turned back around to face Charlie, just over his shoulder, walking with purpose, his wand raised-he couldn't have seen her, or his wand would surely be raised in her direction-was her Father.

Theodus shouted some incantation that she didn't quite hear over the rest of the sounds that were filling her ears, and a bright orange light burst from his wand, shooting forward like an arrow at lightning speed inside the Entrance Hall. From this angle, she couldn't see who he had been aiming at, but from the toothy grin that had spread across his face, she knew he had hit his target. _Theo. It could be Theo_ , a cold panic surged up inside her, and her need for revenge took the backseat to the possessive, protective instinct to ensure Theo was safe, that was now at the forefront of her mind. It was all she could think about. She tucked her wand into her front pocket, and pulled the dagger out from the holster she had strapped to her right leg.

 _It's time to end this_ , Gwen thought as she sprinted across the battlefield, ducking and dodging spells, the only thing in her field of vision was Theodus as he strode confidently through the doors into the castle.

* * *

 _I did it,_ Gwen thought triumphantly, a surge of magic was thrumming through her veins. She was finally free of him, an image of his listless eyes staring up at her flashed through her mind. _Well, I'm as free as I'll ever be_ , she thought, a touch of bitterness mixing itself into her sugary sweet moment.

Voldemort's cold voice was echoing in everyone's minds, and she saw that the Death Eaters began to retreat. She strolled to the vast doors, one of them was hanging off of its' hinges, the wood splintered and split in several places, the other one almost pristine, untouched.

Tonks was in her line of light, and Gwen smiled softly as she saw that the witch was shifting some rubble, trying to help a boy whose leg was trapped. Gwen felt _his_ warmth come up behind her, things were _good_ for once. Well, with the exception that Blaise was terribly injured, a sharp stab plunged into her heart, making her grasp at the fabric of her shirt on her chest. She felt like she was interrupting as they had all run to Blaise, Draco shouting loud enough for everyone around to hear that the boy was alive. A blonde haired girl, _probably Daphne_ , Gwen had thought at the time had run full speed toward Blaise, only to be caught by a tall, boy, who certainly looked worse for wear.

Gwen turned back around, and she saw that a cloaked figure, dressed in all black had shakily just pulled himself off the ground. Her eyes widened, and she heard Charlie scream, " _NO_!" but all she could do was start running, her throat burning, her legs pumping as if her life depended on it.

A dark blue light flew from his wand and smashed into Tonks, and Gwen's blood ran cold as Tonks flew into a pile of rubble a few feet away, her head snapping against it with a sharp crack. Gwen could hear it from here, and she saw as Tonks's head lolled limply to the side, her bright hair covering her face.

She didn't even think, she felt her bones shift, and her eyesight sharpened and the man didn't even have a chance to do anything before a large black wolf was lunging at him. He weakly raised his wand, but Gwen's teeth sank into his shoulder, a strangled cry fell from his lips as he tried to fight back, his fingernails scratching at her.

She pulled as hard as she could feeling her neck muscles strain slightly. She didn't even even acknowledge that her face was covered in the blood from the place where his arm used to be; she had torn it clean off. Claws, teeth, snarls, bites. When she was finished, his robes were a tattered mess on the ground, and no one would be able to identify who he was, much less _what_ he was.

The icy-blue eyed wolf, maw dripping with blood turned its' head towards the bright haired woman that was lying over a piece of rubble not too far away. It hastily bounded for witch, black coat glistening with blood as its' muscles pumped.

When she reached Tonks, she shifted back, she carefully reached out and pulled Tonks into her arms as she fell onto her knees and shins. Tonks was still warm, and her eyes turned to look at Gwen, her hopes were dashed however when Tonks coughed up crimson.

"Hey…" Tonks coughed, her eyes half-closed.

"Tonks, Tonks, stay with me, please. Please," Gwen begged, hot tears spilling from her eyes, hands grasping the women tighter. One hand under Tonks, around her upper arm and pulling her towards her, the other was on her chest, feeling her faint heartbeat beneath her fingertips.

"Take care of my best friend...okay? Tell Remus that I love him...and look after Teddy for me, please," Tonks murmured, her eyelids fluttering shut.

"Tonks!" Gwen screamed, "no, no, no, no, no! _NO!_ " Tonks's heartbeat was slowing, Gwen's shoulders shook as she screamed and begging to anyone that would listen to save her friend. Gwen's chest heaved heavily, unable to properly see, or hear, but she knew that Charlie was there.

 _Maybe, maybe, she's alright. Maybe we can still help her_ , Gwen thought desperately, tucking one hand under Tonks's legs, holding onto the side of her knee, and she stumbled to her feet. Sprinting as fast as she could to the Great Hall. They could help her, they would be able to save her.

She saw people hurrying about, carrying potions, bandages; people on the ground, either motionless or were groaning in pain. Some witches and wizards were merely gathered around some of the persons on the floor. Either family members, friends or classmates.

" _HELP!"_

* * *

 **Present**

It looked almost peaceful, it was very quiet. He could hear it, loudly in his ears. _Everything._ He tried to drown out the other sounds, the soft weeping from across the hall, where a girl was crying over her sister's dead body, the rustling of robes as people moved to and fro. Shoes hitting the stone.

The main thing he was focusing on now was _her_ , her shallow breathing. Listening to the blood flow through her veins, to her heart pumping, _slowly_ , to her short, trembling breaths as they went in and out her mouth. He watched as her chest softly rose and fell. Hearing her lungs expand one last time before with a tiny exhale, her heart stopped.

Draco Malfoy sat beside Lavender Brown, holding her hand-her still warm hand-as she slowly drifted away.

It had looked so peaceful, as if she was going to sleep.

Ginny was going to be devastated, she had purposefully tried to save her, but sometimes even your best just wasn't good enough.

Draco carefully placed the girl's hand on her still chest, grimacing as he put his hand on the ground and gently stood up.

He took one more glance at the dirty blonde haired girl, before walking away, in between grieving persons, and groaning patients, his eyes and ears were searching. Trying to filter through the people who were on the brink of death-the ones who were beyond saving-the ones who were okay and the ones that were in dire need of medical attention; the latter were the ones he was searching for.

 _I may not have been able to save Brown, but I'll be damned if I don't try and save anyone I can,_ Draco thought with steely determination as he spotted one such person that he was looking for.

Earlier Hermione had immediately run to the Weasleys side beside Ron, and he had smiled weakly at her, she returned her own strained smile. He noticed that Potter was dragging behind, a guilty expression clear as day on his face. Draco hadn't had it in him to even _think_ a snide comment about how Potter probably thought this was all his fault.

He had wanted nothing more than to run to Hermione, wrap her in his arms and leave all this misery behind.

As he was walking towards a screaming boy, a sudden thought ran through his mind. _Where are my parents?_ Panic flooded his system and he began to spin around, eyes searching, failing to see even a flash of the blond hair he was trying to find. Nothing. _Nothing._

 _Fuck._

* * *

Narcissa firmly kept her hands to her side. They had been surrounded by Macnair and their lackeys: which normally wouldn't have been a problem, but Lucius had lost the stolen wand he had been using, and they had disarmed Narcissa. Not before they had decapitated one or two of Macnair's men.

Now Narcissa and Lucius had their hands bound behind their back and they were being jeered at by Death Eaters and scum alike.

Narcissa didn't even look at Bellatrix, who had been twirling her cursed dagger in her hand, eyeing her sister in a playfully wicked way.

It just happened to be their luck that the Death Eaters and _the Dark Lord_ 's attention was drawn away from the blood traitors that they had taken hostage and instead now on the tall, messy, raven haired wizard that was slowly walking out of the shadows.

Narcissa didn't pay much attention to their conversation. She was too focused on watching Harry. Desperately she hoped that _somehow_ Potter would win this, but her hope was dashed and her heart stopped briefly when the green light flashed from the tip of _his_ wand and engulfed Potter completely. The boy fell to the ground. _Dead._

"Harry Potter...is dead!" Voldemort said loudly, holding his hands out, turning to face his followers with what almost seen akin to glee. It was the closest she'd seen him to being happy, but a terrible feeling of dread settled in the pit of her stomach and it was all she could do to stop herself from being sick.

"Is he really dead?" A voice called from the back, and Voldemort was in such a good mood he didn't immediately ask for the person to step forward and to carry out his judgment-which would result in another body on the ground to join Potter.

"Well. I think perhaps we should have someone check," Voldemort said coldly, his red eyes searching the crowd until they landed...on her. It almost looked like a touch of a smile that touched his lips, but it cause a shiver to crawl up her spine.

"Narcissa. Perhaps you can redeem yourself yet," Voldemort said softly, but everyone in the clearing had heard him, crystal clear, because they had all gone quiet. Deadly so.

Narcissa numbly nodded, if Potter was dead, then she needed to be on the winning side until she could get Draco from the castle and run away with him and Lucius. They would make sure to grab the Granger girl on their way out, and anyone else they could.

Narcissa slowly broke away from the crowd, feeling the ropes digging into her wrists as walked across the forest ground. She almost tripped a couple times with her heeled boots, instinctively trying to raise her hands to balance herself, only for the ropes to rub into her wrists deeper, to burn, and she felt the skin being rubbed raw.

She stopped short, a couple feet away from _him._

He waved his wand and the ropes around her wrist unravelled themselves, and she almost stumbled, almost. She clasped her hands in front of herself, to moving to rub at her sore wrists, no matter how much she tried.

She had been so caught up in herself and her thoughts, that she didn't hear the muted sobbing from the Half-Giant behind her. She had caught a brief look at him earlier, but she hadn't dared to let her gaze linger for too long. She heard a gruff voice bark at him, and from the sound, she guessed that Hagrid had been hit, and the crying got softer.

"Go and check the boy. Ensure he is not still alive," Voldemort hissed and she tried to hide the shudder that ran across her skin, but she knew that he had seen it. Whether he cared or not, she couldn't be positive, but she set to the right, and then strode carefully through the dark forest to the boy.

She knelt beside him, a flash of seeing his Father running through the castle with Sirius, Remus and Wormtail right beside him ran through her mind. A deep sorrow filled her as she placed a hand on his arm. He was their _last_ hope. She knew one boy wasn't solely responsible for ending this war, but without him they were surely doomed.

Her hand lightly trailed up his arm until her slender fingers reached the side of his neck.

That's when she felt it. A strong, steady pulse. Right beneath her fingertips. She froze. Not moving. The hope was blooming in her chest, but the next few moments were crucial. _No one_ could know he still lived. No one.

Which is why, as the darkness slowly crept away from the forest, the dawn beginning to break, Narcissa Malfoy turned to the large group standing behind her waiting, and said in a clear voice, "Dead."

* * *

Michael Corner and Terry Boot had just returned with another body, and Ginny felt her heart sink further. She had woken up a few minutes ago, and she saw Theo sitting on the ground beside her, rocking his sister back and forth. Charlie, Remus, and Sirius were on the ground around a body a few feet away. All openly weeping. She saw dark brown hair and she almost didn't recognise who it was until she had spotted their face. _Tonks._

Her metamorphic magic must have ceased soon after her death.

Molly had made sure to tell her that Blaise was going to be fine, that she had checked up on him a few minutes ago, and Madam Pomfrey said he was stable.

Ginny met Theo's eyes for a brief second before she crawled over to the siblings, merely wrapping her arms around Gwen from the other side.

Which is where she stayed until a high pitched scream of anguish at the front of the Great Hall caught everyone's attention.

Ginny staggered to her feet, and before she knew it she was running towards the vast doors, past Slughorn, past McGonagall. Past her other teachers, classmates, friends, acquaintances. Past where Blaise lay on the ground, now barely awake, but whispering to Daphne.

Until she was beside the Seventh Year Ravenclaw boy, panting, gripping her wand.

The sun was peeking, ushering in a new day, yet she felt as though her world was ending.

" _HARRY!"_ Ginny screamed, watching as Hagrid carried the limp body in his arms, heavily weeping, fat tears rolling into his wiry beard.

Voldemort at the front of the massive group that was marching into the desecrated courtyard. All cloaked and clothed in darkness, darkening the world in shadow as they moved.

It was over.


	36. The End

**I am really sorry it's been so long, but my muse and I argued over this chapter for the longest time since it is so heavily canon compliant.**

 **The canon sections are in italics, as they have been in previous chapters.**

 **This is the 'last' chapter in the war, and after this are the healing chapters so to speak, the ones to wrap up everything into a nice little package. After all that, it'll just be editing through the story. I am extremely thankful for all of the reviews and favourites and follows I've gotten on this story.**

 **Since I last updated I started an angsty Harmony story and a time travel Remione story.**

 **ALSO HAPPY BIRTHDAY GINNY! (Today, August 11th is her birthday).**

 **Please leave a review and let me know what you think ;)**

 **My tumblr: indiebluecrown. tumblr. com**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's are mine.**

* * *

Draco watched as Ginny sprinted towards the vast doors at the front of the Great Hall. He began to quickly follow her, Theo was right beside him. Draco stopped short beside Blaise who was trying to sit up against Daphne's protests.

Draco hurriedly knelt by his best mate's side and said, "oi, mate, what's wrong?"

"Macnair," Blaise snarled, once more attempting to get up again. Theo anxiously looked between his brothers and the outside, Blaise seemed to notice this and said, "go on Theo, go find Red." Theo grimaced, but nodded curtly after a moment and took off to find his witch.

"Leave him to me," Draco said softly once Blaise met his gaze again, Draco grasped onto Blaise's shoulder, squeezing it lightly.

"Fuck that, give me a Pepper Up or something and let's take the bastard down together," Blaise grunted out, sitting up fully, back hunched and his breathing was slow, back shifting up and down as he inhaled and exhaled.

"Babe…" Daphne murmured, tenderly stroking his cheek.

"I am not going to sit here," Blaise said fiercely, looking between Draco and Daphne. Draco debated internally the consequences of giving Blaise what he wanted, and after a few quick moments, Draco reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out a couple vials. A hasty inspection to discern which one he needed, and he found the one he was looking for, he took the small orange vial and handed it to Blaise.

"Drink up, _darling_ , I feel like the final act is about to begin," Draco said, slipping the other vial back into his pocket, and then groaning as he stood up-there was a lightly persisting pain in his left leg-the muscles felt weary and stretched out.

Draco glanced at Blaise once more before following the mass exodus of wix that were heading towards the courtyard, all filing out once they reached it.

Draco forcibly pushed past grimy, sweaty bodies, catching a glimpse of the other side of the courtyard-as he made his way to the front in search of Ginny-and he swallowed thickly. Draco suspected that Theo had probably found her already. Shoving his way through the crowd was definitely a task, everyone was pushing to see what was going on, but no one wanted to go too far. Closely packed together, figuring there was safety in numbers.

Draco spotted a bright head of ginger hair and then a much taller wizard next to it-to his left-and he attempted to make his way over to them.

When Draco finally emerged from the crowd, he saw that he was now at the front, right beside Theo, whose left hand was grasping Ginny's right tightly.

"Harry…" Ginny mumbled, and Draco saw tears in her eyes.

Draco properly faced forwards for the first time and saw what everyone else was seeing. Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, was now laying limp in Hagrid's bruised and battered arms. The half-giant was clutching Harry tightly, vast body shaking with silent sobs, fat tears were caught in his beard from earlier, but none fell now; he merely shook with grief, body heaving as his pain manifested itself physically.

 _We're doomed._

* * *

 _The Death Eaters came to a halt; Harry heard them spreading out in a line facing the open front doors of the school. He could see, even_

 _though his closed lids, the reddish glow that meant light streamed upon him from the entrance hall. He waited. Any moment, the people for whom he had tried to die would see him, lying apparently dead, in Hagrid's arms._

 _"NO!"_

 _The scream was the more terrible because he had never expected or dreamed that Professor McGonagall could make such a sound. He heard_

 _another women laughing nearby, and knew that Bellatrix gloried in McGonagall's squinted again for a single second and saw the open doorway filling with people, as the survivors of the battle came out onto the front steps to face their vanquishers and see the truth of Harry's death for themselves. He saw Voldemort standing a little in front of him, stroking Nagini's head with a single white finger. He closed his eyes again._

 _"No!"_

 _"No!"_

 _"Harry! HARRY!"_

 _Ron's and Hermione's voices were worse than McGonagall's; Harry wanted nothing more than to call back, yet he made himself lie silent, and their cries acted like a trigger; the crowd of survivors took up the cause,screaming and yelling abuse at the Death Eaters, until -_

 _"SILENCE!" cried Voldemort, and there was a bang and a flash of bright light,and silence was forced upon them all. "It is over! Set him down,_

 _Hagrid, at my feet, where he belongs!"_

 _Harry felt himself lowered onto the grass._

 _"You see? said Voldemort, and Harry felt him striding backward and forward right beside the place where he lay. "Harry Potter is dead! Do you understand now, deluded ones? He was nothing, ever, but a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him!"_

He can't be dead, he can't be, Ginny thought to herself. She had just seen him, alive, a little worse for wear, but alive. He looked so small in Hagrid's arms, so frail. Ginny felt her sadness, her sorrow, burrow deep inside her, replaced with violent, pulsing, _palpable_ rage that bubbled up inside her to a boil. She wasn't going to give up, she wasn't going to go down without a fight.

 _"He beat you!" yelled Ron, and the charm broke, and the defenders of Hogwarts were shouting and screaming again until a second, more powerful bang extinguished their voices once more._

 _"He was killed while trying to sneak out of the castle grounds," said Voldemort,and there was a relish in his voice for the lie._

Ginny growled lowly, she didn't care what Voldemort said, Harry wasn't one to run away, knowing him he probably walked into the forest thinking he could save everyone.

 _"killed while trying to save himself - "_

 _But Voldemort broke off: Harry heard a scuffle and a shout, then another bang, a flash of light, and grunt of pain; he opened his eyes an infinitesimal amount. Someone had broken free of the crowd and charged at Voldemort: Harry saw the figure hit the ground. Disarmed, Voldemort throwing the challenger's wand aside and laughing._

Ginny tiptoed, trying to get a better look at who it was-several wix had moved to look as well, blocking her view. When Ginny saw who it was, her veins were filled with frigid ice water.

 _"And who is this?" he said in his soft snake's hiss. "Who has volunteered to demonstrate what happens to those who continue to fight when the battle is lost?"_

 _Bellatrix gave a delighted laugh._

 _"It is Neville Longbottom, my Lord! The boy who has been giving the Carrows so much trouble! The son of the Aurors, remember?"_

Shit, Neville, Ginny thought worriedly, squeezing Theo's hand tighter, peeking at him through her peripherals and she saw that his jaw was clenched and his mouth was drawn into a thin line.

 _"Ah, yes, I remember," said Voldemort, looking down at Neville, who was struggling back to his feet, unarmed and unprotected, standing in the_

 _no-man's-land between the survivors and the Death Eaters. "But you are a pureblood,aren't you, my brave boy? Voldemort asked Neville, who stood facing him, his empty hands curled in fists._

 _"So what if I am?" said Neville loudly._

 _"You show spirit and bravery, and you come of noble stock. You will make a very valuable Death Eater. We need your kind, Neville Longbottom."_

 _"I'll join you when hell freezes over," said Neville. "Dumbledore's Army!" he shouted, and there was an answering cheer from the crowd, whom Voldemort's Silencing Charms seemed unable to hold._

Ginny shrugged after Theo shot her a droll look when she cheered in response to Neville's cry. He's probably thinking we should draw as little attention as we can, Ginny mused.

 _"Very well," said Voldemort, and Harry heard more danger in the silkiness of his voice than in the most powerful curse. "If that is your choice, Longbottom, we revert to the original plan. On your head," he said quietly, "be it."_

"No," Ginny whispered softly in horror, eyes widening, instinctively taking a step forward. Theo's eyes widened and he tugged her back in line with him, pulling her into his side at the same time and wrapping an arm protectively around her shoulders.

 _Still watching through his lashes, Harry saw Voldemort wave his wand. Seconds Later, out of one of the castle's shattered windows, something that looked like a misshapen bird flew through the half light and landed in Voldemort's hand. He shook the mildewed object by its pointed end and it dangled, empty and ragged: the Sorting Hat._

 _"There will be no more Sorting at Hogwarts School," said Voldemort. "There will be no more Houses. The emblem, shield and colors of my noble ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, will suffice everyone. Won't they, Neville Longbottom?"_

 _He pointed his wand at Neville, who grew rigid and still, then forced the hat onto Neville's head, so that it slipped down below his eyes. There were movements from the watching crowd in front of the castle, and as one, the Death Eaters raised their wands,holding the fighters of Hogwarts at bay._

 _"Neville here is now going to demonstrate what happens to anyone foolish enough to continue to oppose me," said Voldemort, and with a flick of his wand, he caused the Sorting Hat to burst into flames._

"NO!" A broken cry ripped from her lips, joining many others as they could only watch as the flames licked at the air and smothered the hat, thin whips lashing out at Neville himself.

 _Screams split the dawn, and Neville was aflame, rooted to the spot, unable to move, and Harry could not bear it: He must act -_

 _And then many things happened at the same moment._

 _They heard uproar from the distant boundary of the school as what sounded like hundreds of people came swarming over the out-of-sight walls and pelted toward the castle, uttering loud war cries. At the same time, Grawp came lumbering around the side of the castle and yelled, "HAGGER!" His cry was answered by roars from Voldemort's giants: They ran at Grawp like bull elephants making the earth quake. Then came hooves and the twangs of bows, and arrows were suddenly falling amongst the Death Eaters, who broke ranks, shouting their surprise. Harry pulled the Invisibility Cloak from inside his robes, swung it over himself, and sprang to his feet, as Neville moved too._

Hope sprung into her system, making her magic thrum and vibrate right down to her core. There was hope. Ginny turned back to look at Harry but she didn't see him in Hagrid's arms anymore. He had simply vanished. The half-giant was standing there, flabbergasted, arms still held in their previous position when a body had been occupying them.

 _In one swift, fluid motion, Neville broke free of the Body-Bind Curse upon him; the flaming hat fell off him and he drew from its depths something silver, with a glittering, rubied handle -_

 _The slash of the silver blade could not be heard over the roar of the oncoming crowd or the sounds of the clashing giants or of the stampeding centaurs, and yet, it seemed to draw every eye. With a single stroke Neville sliced off the great snake's head,which spun high into the air, gleaming in the light flooding from the entrance hall, and Voldemort's mouth was open in a scream of fury that nobody could hear, and the snake's body thudded to the ground at his feet-_

 _Hidden beneath the Invisibility Cloak, Harry cast a Shield Charm between Neville and Voldemort before the latter could raise his wand. Then, over the screams and the roars and the thunderous stamps of the battling giants, Hagrid's yell came loudest of all._

 _"HARRY!" Hagrid shouted. "HARRY - WHERE'S HARRY?"_

Ginny was frantically searching here and there, but instead all she saw was that battle had broken out amongst the wizards again, spells were being hurled this way and the next. She was mainly on the defensive as she tried to find Harry. He must be alive, she thought suddenly, and she shoved the sliver of hope that he was to the back of her mind; she had bigger fish to fry.

Ginny started to push her way through the crowd, firing spells, jinxes, curses, anything she could at any Death Eaters she saw.

 _Chaos reigned. The charging centaurs were scattering the Death Eaters, everyone was feeling the giants' stamping feet, and nearer and nearer thundered the reinforcements that had come from who knew where; Harry saw great winged creatures soaring the heads of Voldemort's giants, thestrals and Buckbeak the hippogriff scratching at their eyes while Grawp punched and pummeled them and now the wizards, defenders of Hogwarts and Death Eaters alike were being forced back into the castle. Harry was shooting jinxes and curses at any Death Eater he could see, and they crumpled, not knowing what or who had hit them, and their bodies were trampled by the retreating crowd._

 _Still hidden beneath the Invisibility Cloak, Harry was buffered into the entrance hall: He was searching for Voldemort and saw him across the room, firing spells from his wand as he backed into the Great Hall, still screaming instructions to his followers as he sent curses flying left and right; Harry cast more Shield Charms, at Voldemort's would-be victims. Seamus Finnigan and Hannah Abbott, darted past him into the Great Hall, where they joined the fight already flourishing inside it._

 _And now there were more, even more people storming up the front steps, and Harry saw Charlie Weasley overtaking Horace Slughorn, who was still wearing his emerald pajamas. They seemed to have returned at the head of what looked like the families and friends of every Hogwarts student who had remained to fight, along with the shopkeepers and homeowners of Hogsmeade_.

Pansy was standing feet away from her Father and from Goyle Senior, she raised her wand and moments later Padma and Parvati Patil joined her side. Ginny heard Pansy yell, "fuck you!" in her Father's direction as she passed by the dark haired girl.  
 _The centaurs Ban, Ronan, and Magorian burst into the hall with a great clatter of hooves, as behind Harry the door that led to the kitchens was blasted off its hinges.  
The house-elves of Hogwarts swarmed into the entrance hall, screaming and waving carving knives and cleavers, and at their head, the locket of Regulus Black bouncing on his chest, was Kreacher, his bullfrog's voice audible even  
above this din: "Fight! Fight! Fight for my Master, defender of the house-elves! Fight the Dark Lord, in the name of brave Regulus! Fight!"_

Ginny ducked quickly as she heard and then saw Sirius flying on a broom through all the chaos and madness, laughing gaily as he fired spell after spell at every Death Eater in his line of sight.

Ginny felt a smile tug at the corners of her mouth, and she shot a spell at a Death Eater who had just thrown one at Kingsley-who was back to back with Remus as they fought together-the bright blue spell clipped Kingsley in his non-dominant arm and he stumbled forward in pain. Remus quickly covered for him, dispatching any of the Death Eaters in reach whilst Kingsley got a hold of himself.

The House Elves _were hacking and stabbing at the ankles and shins of Death Eaters,  
their tiny faces alive with malice, and everywhere Harry looked Death Eaters  
were folding under sheer weight of numbers, overcome by spells, dragging arrows from wounds, stabbed in the leg by elves, or else simply attempting to escape, but swallowed by the oncoming horde._  
 _But it was not over yet: Harry sped between duelers, past struggling prisoners, and into the Great Hall.  
Voldemort was in the center of the battle, and he was striking and smiting all within reach. Harry could not get a clear shot, but fought his way nearer, still invisible, and the Great Hall became more and more crowded as everyone who could walk forced their way inside.  
Harry saw Yaxley slammed to the floor by George and Lee Jordan, _saw Dolohov fall with a scream as Draco's nasty spell tore him right now the middle, a vengeful expression on his face, saw Walden Macnair thrown across the room by Hagrid and land on his side, only to have Blaise advance upon him and kill him slowly, covering his body in cuts and slashes; Harry swore he heard Blaise say, "I don't even feel bad about killing scum like you," as he smiled jovially down at the remnants of the wizard.

 _He saw Ron and Neville bringing down Fenrir Greyback, Aberforth Stunning Rookwood, Arthur and Percy flooring Thicknesse.  
Voldemort was now dueling McGonagall, Slughorn, and _Moody _all at once, and there was cold hatred in his face as they wove and ducked around him, unable to finish him—  
Bellatrix was still fighting too, fifty yards away from Voldemort, and like her master she duelled three at once: Hermione, Ginny, and Luna, all battling their hardest, but Bellatrix was equal to them,_ since all three girls looked tired and weary from all the fighting _and Harry's attention was diverted as a Killing Curse shot so close to_ Luna _that she missed death by an inch—  
He changed course, running at Bellatrix rather than Voldemort, but before  
he had gone a few steps he was knocked sideways_.

Ginny had come upon Hermione and Luna and she joined them in their assault against the witch that had wronged them all in some way.

When she heard, _"NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!" Mrs. Weasley threw off her cloak as she ran, freeing her arms. Bellatrix spun on the spot, roaring with laughter at the sight of her new challenger._

Ginny noticed that Narcissa had followed closely behind Molly, looking frustrated as she doesn't have a wand anymore.

Lucius ran towards his wife, appearing out of the blue, and handed her a wand. Narcissa raised an eyebrow-silently questioning its origins, but her husband merely shrugged. Narcissa rolled the wand around in her hand for a moment, and then clasped it tightly before she fired a spell at a Death Eater who was backing her and duelling Hannah. His back sharply curved inwards before he sank to the ground, and Narcissa grinned broadly. Turning towards her sister with a dark smile.

Ginny stood on the fair witch's side just as she joined Molly in the fight. She saw Theo out of the corner of her eye running towards Draco and Blaise. Please be safe, Ginny pleaded as she turned her attention back to the deranged witch in front of them.

The fighting had ceased for a moment and Bellatrix was regarding them all as if they were toys she was dying to play with.

"She's mine," Ginny announced.

"Ginny-" Molly began to protest, expression filled with rage.

"SHE'S _MINE_ ," Ginny roared, and in any other situation, she would be in terrible trouble with her Mother, and from the way Molly's eyes narrowed, she knew that when this was all over, she most likely would be. Ginny stepped forward, Molly and Narcissa by her side, _and with a swipe of her wand she began to duel. Harry watched with terror and elation as_ Ginny _Weasley's wand slashed and twisted, and Bellatrix Lestrange's smile faltered and became a snarl. Jets of light flew from both wands, the floor around the witches' feet became hot and cracked; both women were fighting to kill._

 _Bellatrix laughed_ , it was an exhilarated, wild noise that erupted from her lips. Harry saw Ginny grit her teeth and clench her jaw, and then he knew what was going to happen moments before it did.

Ginny's _curse soared beneath Bellatrix's outstretched arm and hit her squarely  
in the chest, directly over her heart.  
Bellatrix's gloating smile froze, her eyes began to bulge: For the tiniest space of time she knew what had happened, and then she toppled, and the watching crowd roared, and Voldemort screamed._

 _Harry felt as though he turned in slow motion; he saw McGonagall,_ Moody _, and Slughorn blasted backward, flailing and writhing through the air, as Voldemort's fury at the fall of his last, best lieutenant exploded with the force of a bomb. Voldemort raised his wand and directed it at_ Ginny _Weasley.  
"Protego!" roared Harry, and the Shield Charm expanded in the middle of the Hall, and Voldemort stared around for the source as Harry pulled off the Invisibility Cloak at last.  
The yell of shock, the cheers, the screams on every side of "Harry!" "HE'S ALIVE!" were stifled at once. The crowd was afraid, and silence fell abruptly and completely as Voldemort and Harry looked at each other, and began, at the same moment, to circle each other._

Ginny felt her breath catch in her throat, those blood red eyes had been turned towards her with so much hatred and fury. Her eyes darted about until she finally found Theo, who looked white as a sheet and his chest was rising and falling rapidly. She found that she didn't even have it in her to muster up a small smile. So instead she turned back to Harry. _  
"I don't want anyone else to try to help." Harry said loudly, and in the total silence his voice carried like a trumpet call. "It's got to be like this. It's got to be me."  
Voldemort hissed.  
"Potter doesn't mean that," he said, his red eyes wide. "That isn't how he works, is it? Who are you going to use as a shield today, Potter?"  
"Nobody," said Harry simply. "There are no more Horcruxes. It's just you and me. Neither can live while the other survives, and one of us is about to leave for good..."  
"One of us?" jeered Voldemort, and his whole body was taunt and his red eyes stared, a snake that was about to strike. "You think it will be you, do you, the boy who has survived by accident, and because Dumbledore was pulling the strings?"  
"Accident, was it, when my mother died to save me?" asked Harry. They were still moving sideways, both of them, in that perfect circle, maintaining the same distance from each other, and for Harry no face existed but Voldemort's.  
"Accident, when I decided to fight in that graveyard? Accident, that I didn't defend myself tonight, and still survived, and returned to fight again?"  
"Accidents!" screamed Voldemort, but still he did not strike, and the watching crowd was frozen as if Petrified, and of the hundreds in the Hall, nobody seemed to breathe but they two. "Accident and chance and the fact that you crouched and snivelled behind the skirts of greater men and women, and permitted me to kill them for you!"  
"You won't be killing anyone else tonight," said Harry as they circled, and stared into each other's eyes, green into red. "You won't be able to kill any of them ever again. Don't you get it? I was ready to die to stop you from hurting these people—"  
"But you did not!"  
"—I meant to, and that's what it did. I've done what my mother did. They're protected from you. Haven't you noticed how none of the spells you put on them are binding? You can't torture them. You can't touch them. You don't learn from your mistakes, Riddle, do you?"  
"You dare—"  
"Yes, I dare," said Harry. "I know things you don't know, Tom Riddle. I know lots of important things that you don't. Want to hear some, before you make another big mistake?" Voldemort did not speak, but prowled in a circle, and Harry knew that he kept him temporarily mesmerized and at bay, held back by the faintest possi-  
bility that Harry might indeed know a final secret...  
"Is it love again?" said Voldemort, his snake's face jeering. "Dumbledore's favorite solution, love, which he claimed conquered death, though love did not stop him falling from the tower and breaking like an old waxwork? Love, which did not prevent me stamping out your Mudblood mother like a cockroach, Potter—and nobody seems to love you enough to run forward this time and take my curse. So what will stop you from dying now when I strike?"  
"Just one thing," said Harry, and still they circled each other, wrapped in each other, held apart by nothing but the last secret.  
"If it is not love that will save you this time," said Voldemort, "you must believe that you have magic that I do not, or else a weapon more powerful than  
mine?"  
"I believe both," said Harry, and he saw shock flit across the snakelike face, though it was instantly dispelled; Voldemort began to laugh, and the sound was more frightening than his screams; humorless and insane, it echoed around the silent Hall.  
"You think you know more magic than I do?" he said. "Than I, than Lord Voldemort, who has performed magic that Dumbledore himself never dreamed of?"  
"Oh, he dreamed of it," said Harry, "but he knew more than you, knew enough not to do what you've done."  
"You mean he was weak!" screamed Voldemort. "Too weak to dare, too weak to take what might have been his, what will be mine!"  
"No, he was cleverer than you," said Harry, "a better wizard, a better man."  
"I brought about the death of Albus Dumbledore!"  
"You thought you did," said Harry, "but you were wrong."  
For the first time, the watching crowd stirred as the hundreds of people around the walls drew breath as one.  
"Dumbledore is dead!" Voldemort hurled the words at Harry as though they would cause him unendurable pain. "His body decays in the marble tomb in the grounds of this castle. I have seen it, Potter, and he will not return!"  
"Yes, Dumbledore's dead," said Harry calmly, "but you didn't have him killed. He chose his own manner of dying, chose it months before he died, arranged the whole thing with the man you thought was your servant."  
"What childish dream is this?" said Voldemort, but still he did not strike, and his red eyes did not waver from Harry's.  
"Severus Snape wasn't yours," said Harry. "Snape was Dumbledore's from the moment you started hunting down my mother. And you never realized it, because of the thing you can't understand. You never saw Snape cast a Patronus, did you, Riddle?"  
Voldemort did not answer. They continued to circle each other, like wolves about to tear each other apart.  
"Snape's Patronus was a doe," said Harry,"the same as my mother's, because he loved her for nearly all of his life, from the time when they were children. You should have realized," he said as he saw Voldemort's nostrils flare, "he asked you to spare her life, didn't he?"  
"He desired her, that was all," sneered Voldemort, "but when she had gone, he agreed that there were other women, and of purer blood, worthier of him—"  
"Of course he told you that," said Harry, "but he was Dumbledore's spy from the moment you threatened her, and he's been working against you ever since! Dumbledore was already dying when Snape finished him!"  
"It matters not!" shrieked Voldemort, who had followed every word with rapt attention, but now let out a cackle of mad laughter. "It matters not with him, because it had never been won from him!"  
"But then, Potter, Dumbledore as good as gave me the wand!" Voldemort's voice shook with malicious pleasure. "I stole the wand from its last master's tomb! I removed it against its last master's wishes! It's power is mine!"  
"You still don't get it, Riddle, do you? Possessing the wand isn't enough! Holding it, using it, doesn't make it really yours. Didn't you listen to Ollivander? The wand chooses the wizard...The Elder Wand recognized a new master before Dumbledore died, someone who never even laid a hand on it.  
The new master removed the wand from Dumbledore against his will, never realizing exactly what he had done, or that the world's most dangerous wand had given him its allegiance…"_

 _Voldemort's chest rose and fell rapidly, and Harry could feel the curse coming, feel it building inside the wand pointed at his face.  
"The true master of the Elder Wand was Draco Malfoy."  
Blank shock showed in Voldemort's face for a moment, but then it was gone.  
"But what does it matter?" he said softly. "Even if you are right, Potter, it makes no difference to you and me. You no longer have the phoenix wand: We duel on skill alone...and after I have killed you, I can attend to Draco Malfoy..."  
"But you're too late," said Harry. "You've missed your chance. I got there first. I overpowered Draco weeks ago. I took this wand from him."_

Harry heard a soft snort reach his ears and he smiled, it had to be Draco. _  
Harry twitched the hawthorn wand, and he felt the eyes of everyone in the Hall upon it.  
"So it all comes down to this, doesn't it?" whispered Harry. "Does the wand in your hand know its last master was Disarmed? Because if it does . . . I am the true master of the Elder Wand."  
A red-gold glow burst suddenly across the enchanted sky above them as an edge of dazzling sun appeared over the sill of the nearest window. The light hit both of their faces at the same time, so that Voldemort's was suddenly a flaming blur. Harry heard the high voice shriek as he too yelled his best hope  
to the heavens, pointing Draco's wand:_

 _"Avada Kedavra!"  
"Expelliarmus!"  
The bang was like a cannon blast, and the golden flames that erupted between them, at the dead center of the circle they had been treading, marked the point where the spells collided. Harry saw Voldemort's green jet meet his own spell, saw the Elder Wand fly high, dark against the sunrise, spinning across the enchanted ceiling like the head of Nagini, spinning through the air toward the master it would not kill, who had come to take full possession of it at last. And Harry, with the unerring skill of a Seeker, caught the wand in his free hand as Voldemort fell backward, arms splayed, the slit pupils of the scarlet eyes rolling upward. Tom Riddle hit the floor with a mundane finality, his body feeble and shrunken, the white hands empty, the snakelike face vacant and unknowing. Voldemort was dead, killed by his own rebounding curse, and  
Harry stood with two wands in his hands, staring down at his enemy's shell._

Did, did Harry just win? Ginny asked herself, shock coursing through her veins.


	37. It's Over

**Hello hello!**

 **Now we're into the 'healing' section of the fic as I like to call it, there will be several short (ish) chapters dealing with the aftermath of the war, and I'm going to try and cover everyone I can. If there are any requests for anything you would like to see, now would be the time :D**

 **I am so grateful for all the support I've received since I began writing this fic just over a year ago. I _never_ expected it to be this long or grow into what it has, but seriously for all of you that have reviewed, followed and favourited it, thank you!**

 **The first little bit is the last canon compliant part of the story, and as per usual, it is in italics :)**

 **Please leave a review and let me know what you think ;)**

 **My tumblr: indiebluecrown. tumblr. com**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's belong to me.**

 **For Kitty Cat xxx I love you dearest!**

* * *

 _One shivering second of silence, the shock of the moment suspended: and then the tumult broke around Harry as the screams and the cheers and the roars of the watchers rent the air. The fierce new sun dazzled the windows as they thundered toward him, and the first to reach him were Ron and Hermione, and it was their arms that were wrapped around him, their incomprehensible shouts that deafened him. Then Ginny, Neville, and Luna were there, and then all the Weasleys and Hagrid, and Kingsley and McGonagall and Flitwick and Sprout,_ and Sirius and Remus and just everyone, _and Harry could not hear a word that anyone was shouting, nor tell whose hands were seizing him, pulling him, trying to hug some part of him, hundreds of them pressing in, all of them determined to touch the Boy Who Lived, the reason it was over at last—_

 _The sun rose steadily over Hogwarts, and the Great Hall blazed with life and light. Harry was an indispensable part of the mingled outpourings of jubilation and mourning, of grief and celebration._

 _They wanted him there with them, their leader and symbol, their savior and their guide, and that he had not slept, that he craved the company of only a few of them, seemed to occur to on one. He must speak to the bereaved, clap their hands, witness their tears, receive their thanks, hear the new now creeping in from every quarter as the morning drew on; that the Imperiused up and down the country had come back to themselves, that Death Eaters were fleeing or else being captured, that the innocent of Azkaban were being released at that very moment, and that Kingsley Shacklebolt had been named temporary Minister of Magic...  
They moved Voldemort's body and laid it in a chamber off the Hall, away from the bodies of Tonks, _Lavender _, Colin Creevey, and fifty others who had died fighting him. McGonagall had replaced the House tables, but nobody was sitting according to House anymore: All were jumbled together, teachers and pupils, ghosts and parents, centaurs and house-elves, and Firenze lay recovering in a corner, and Grawp peered in through a smashed window, and people were through food into his laughing mouth._

* * *

After the initial euphoria of their victory, of their triumph over Voldemort and his followers, slowly ebbed away, their joyous cries died down, and everyone was left in the silent aftermath of the last several hours. The last several months really. If they're all honest with themselves, they're all recovering from the last few years; ever since the rumours kicked back up that Voldemort may be back, they had been living in fear, torment, grief, uncertainty. The list went on and on. Almost every wix's life had been affected in one way or another.

Most of the wix were now sitting quietly amongst themselves, leaning on the living, folded over and mourning the dead. Heart wrenching sobs were echoing through the vast Hall, and the only footsteps to be heard really, were Madam Pomfrey's as she hurried back and forth, tending to the wounded.

Harry was a bit overwhelmed with all the love and warmth that was being sent his way. They had done it. They had won.

Exhausted and drained, he had found himself beside his witch a few moments ago, and he let his head fall sideways onto her shoulder.

"I'll distract them if you need to get away," Luna murmured in his ear. Harry smirked at the offer, Luna knew him so well. He squeezed her hip and pulled her to him gently before he gave her a quick peck on the lips.

"Would you, love? Please," Harry whispered against her lips.

"Of course," Luna giggled.

Harry pulled away from his witch, and she yelled, " _Oooh, look, a Blibbering Humdinger!"  
and pointed out of the window. Everyone who heard looked around, and_ Harry hastily threw his Invisibility Cloak over himself whilst all the people nearby were distracted.

Veiled with invisibility, he ducked between wix, weaving his way through the survivors until he found Ron and Hermione, sitting close to the entrance to the Great Hall. Ron's arm was around Hermione and her head was resting wearily on his shoulder. Harry thought about the best way to approach his best mates, that whilst exhausted, were now hardwired now to be on their guard, and alert at even the slightest sudden movement.

Deciding that no matter what he did, they would jump to attention, Harry softly said, "Hermione, Ron, it's me, Harry, follow me outside."

As he had suspected, they both stiffened, and their hands were on their wands before he had finished speaking. They both visibly relaxed after a moment, and Hermione pursed her lips, clearly unimpressed. Harry heard footfalls behind him, so he didn't stop to check if they were following or not.

From across the Great Hall, Draco paused in his search of his parents and Hermione as he spotted her mess of curls and Ron's shock of ginger hair leaving the Great Hall. He flinched harshly when he felt a hard clap fall on his left shoulder.

"Fu-" Draco began, angling his head in the direction of his assailant.

Draco was greeted by a very, _very_ smug Blaise Zabini.

"...don't make me regret being...upset...when I thought you were dead," Draco drawled after a few moments of silence between the two.

"You were _upset_? Oh _Drakey Poo,_ " Blaise batted his eyelashes rapidly, his grin growing, his sparkling white teeth on full display. Draco spotted the gash across Blaise's forehead, and reminded himself that _yes,_ Blaise _had_ almost just died. If he hadn't, Draco wouldn't have hesitated to hex the git.

"Shut up. I'm going to go find my parents," Draco scowled, shoving Blaise away from him.

Much to his horror-though not surprise-Blaise trailed after him. Draco made sure to hide the slight smirk that touched his lips as his best mate began to prattle on.

* * *

"It's over," Ginny sighed, her back falling against Theo's chest, her knees partially bent. His strong arms encircled her, and she reached up to grasp his forearms.

"It is," Theo murmured softly into her ear, tickling it with his hot breath.

Ginny closed her eyes and simply revelled in the moment, of being alive, her chest rising and falling, her dull aches and pains. Everything that reconfirmed that she was alive, a little battered, but alive nonetheless.

She could hear the soft sound of other people's conversations blending together, but then an obnoxious outburst cut through them all, "blonde, curly haired Malfoys here you come!" _Blaise,_ Ginny smiled faintly. She was too tired or she would have gotten up and gone to see how Hermione and the others were doing. Molly had already made her rounds, checking up on her various children before hurrying back to her husband to tend to his nasty leg wound. Ginny saw her falter on her way there, pausing by Gwen and Charlie.

"What do we do now?" Theo asked softly, and a lazy grin grew on Ginny's face, her eyes fluttering open. She twisted in his arms, one of her hands moving to grasp his cheek.

"Well first...I want a shower. Second, I want to spend a week sleeping. Third, I want to spend some time with my family...and after that, well I'm all yours Theodore Nott." Ginny murmured so that only he could hear her. She tilted her face upwards the slightest bit and he leaned forward the rest of the way and gently pressed his lips to hers. When she pulled away, thumb tenderly stroking his cheek, she saw the happy look in his eyes, and it was in that moment that she knew it was all going to be okay.

Gwen was staring blankly at the ground, her short hair falling in her eyes. The tips of her fingers were white from how tightly she was clinging onto Charlie's forearm-which was protectively wrapped around her, clutching her to him. At some point the blood was washed off of her hands, but the dried blood that was caking her face, chest, clothes and hair remained. Charlie was making soft noises in her ear as he stroked her hair, his fingers untangling any matts and knots.

Molly noticed the ring glinting on Gwen's finger on her way back to her husband, and almost fell over herself (and them) in silent joy, her hands immediately flew to her mouth, and there were smile lines crinkling by her eyes. Thankfully she refrained from squealing or making a big deal about the whole thing. Instead she bent down and gently patted Gwen's arm before turning on her heel and heading to her husband's side. Gwen somehow found it in her to smile weakly.

Daphne ran barefoot across the Great Hall, to where Blaise and Draco were silently conversing. Draco took a small step back as the honey blonde happily flung herself into Blaise's arms. Blaise grunted in pain, and Daphne immediately pulled back, worry flooding her features. Blaise gritted his teeth and swallowed his pain, spinning his witch in a small circle before squeezing her tighter.

Daphne nuzzled her face in the side of his neck, breathing in his scent. Blaise grinned before whispering lowly, "I'm going to fuck you every night from now until we die, Princess."

Daphne snorted, leaning back to look at him; upon seeing his lazy grin she rolled her eyes, but she still angled her face and then leaned down, kissing him deeply when their lips met.

"Okay...that's my cue to leave," Draco rolled his eyes, groaning slightly. He had seen enough public displays of affection from Blaise and Theo for now. It was time he went to find his parents. He didn't know why that wasn't the first thing he set out to do after Hermione had left the Great Hall.

Draco spotted Pansy kneeling beside Padma, rubbing small circles across her back. Padma's body was shaking with violent sobs, her face contorted in agony as she rocked back and forth. Clutching desperately at her motionless twin, whose eyes were staring, unseeing, at the ceiling.

Draco clenched his jaw, shooting Pansy a grief filled look, and when he angled his face forwards again he saw them. His parents.

Anyone in the near vicinity that was paying attention would have seen the Malfoys collide into a massive hug. Unabashedly showing their affection and love for each other. Something most people wouldn't have seen ever before. Draco is squashed in the middle, one arm around both of his parents' waists. Lucius was gently cradling Draco's head to his chest, whereas Narcissa was attempting to wrap her arms around both of her boys.

Minutes later, Draco was sat between them, and they were merely revelling in each other's presence.

Augusta Longbottom was sitting on their left, still clutching a vibrant, red handbag. Her hair out of sorts, the thin, tall, elegant lady's chin is raised and her eyes are proudly watching her grandson as he limped around, checking on everyone he could. Hannah was trailing behind him, trying to get him to sit down so she could look at his wounded leg, not to mention the rest of his injuries.

On their right, Sirius was leaning back, watching Remus who was hunched over Tonks's body-Andromeda had arrived, and Sirius thought it best he leave them alone to grieve. Teddy was holding onto the front of his grandmother tightly as she cradled him in her arms, one hand on the back of his head, making sure he didn't see his Mother.

Sirius took a deep drag of his fag before breathing out softly, the light smoke gently curling and billowing from between his slightly parted lips.

"Must you smoke inside," Narcissa narrowed her eyes at Sirius, scoffing when he grinned and blew the rest in her direction.

"Gosh, cousin, you just survived a Dark Lord, you'd think you'd be a little less uptight," Sirius smirked devilishly.

"You'd think you would have a bit more class, but you are simply a _mutt_ after all," Narcissa smiled sweetly.

Narcissa and Sirius stared at each other for a long, pregnant moment, before they both burst out into laughter. Lucius and Draco, confuddled beyond belief stared at the pair of them, jaws agape.

"Ahhh, you were always my favourite cousin Cissa...with the exception of Dromeda. She was the best," Sirius winked. Narcissa's lips twisted wryly to the side, but her eyes were dancing with amusement.

"I've missed you, Sirius," Narcissa laughed breathily, it came out in short peals, and Lucius merely shook his head before taking his wife's hand in his.

Luna, Neville and Hannah had all meandered their way over to Ginny, and soon everyone she cared about was close by. Well, most of them. Harry, Hermione and Ron were all still outside (talking about Deathly Hallows and horcruxes), Draco was still across the hall with his parents, and her own parents and siblings were a little ways away.

Somehow, she knew. She knew that they would all be okay, maybe not at first, but one day. It was all apart of their journey through life, there would be obstacles, and sorrow, and grief, but there would also be happiness and _light._ They had had enough darkness to last them a lifetime, and now they needed to learn how to _live_ again. To live as opposed to merely surviving as they had been for the better part of the last year, and for others much, much longer.


	38. Burn Baby, Burn

**HELLO MY LOVELIES!**

 **So the chapters from here on out are going to be a lot shorter than most of my normal chapters. Around 900 words and up. There are going to be some time skips for sure, so be prepared for that. I'm going to try and cover the lives of everyone that I've written about in this story, and if anyone has any requests or anything they wish to see, now is the time :P**

 **THANK YOU all for your support, seriously, it means the world to me. When I finish writing this story, I'm going to be going back and editing and possibly re-writing certain bits, so just a heads up there. Again, thank you all so much.**

 **Please leave a review and let me know what you think ;)**

 **My tumblr: indiebluecrown. tumblr. com**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's belong to me.**

 **For Kitty Cat, I love you girly! xxx**

* * *

 **Monday, May 11th, 1998**

 **Full Moon**

 **Lupin Den**

Draco sighed heavily through his nostrils, he knew it hadn't been anyone's fault, but he was irritated nonetheless. During the Battle of Hogwarts as it was now being dubbed, neither he or Remus had taken their dose of Wolfsbane for the night, which meant that they were still going to lose their minds tonight. Since he had been a Werewolf, there hadn't been a Full Moon to date that Draco hadn't had control. He hated losing control, even more so that the War was over. Too long had he been robbed of his ability to freely make his own choices.

The symptoms were worse than ever before, he was more irritable than he had ever been, his migraines were head splitting, the smells all melted together and slammed his senses. The _noise_ was the worst part, it was a cacophony of sound that blended together and pulsed painfully in his ears.

After suffering through utter hell all day, he lay on his back in the forest next to Remus, who was staring blankly at the sky.

"How does it feel?" Draco whispered softly, they were thankfully away from most of the noise now, but the sounds of the forest were deafening in their own right. Draco didn't need to elaborate, he knew Remus would understand.

"Pretty shitty if I'm going to be honest-" Remus replied dryly, "it's going to be my first Full Moon without…"

"Tonks," Draco finished. He could hear Remus's hard swallow and the way his bones in his fist cracked as he clenched the fabric of his sweater tightly. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose one's mate. Just the thought of losing Hermione made his throat close up and his chest tighten to the point where he couldn't breathe. He didn't even know how the _wolf_ part of him would feel.

"It's as if part of me is gone. Ripped away and like I'll never get it back," Remus said quietly.

Draco didn't say anything, there was nothing to say. All he could do was stare up at the leaves that were rustling in the night breeze and watch as the Moon fully appeared. _Good thing I left my suit back in the house_ , Draco thought grimly as he felt it begin.

The transformation is worse than normal, he feels every snap and break of his bones as they reform, he feels his body reshaping, and every, single, second is excruciating. Every, single, moment his air was clogged in his windpipe, and his pores burned as the fur sprouted from them. The edges of his vision turned black as the pain increased. Suddenly it stopped, but then an all encompassing blackness surrounded him, and everything went dark.

The two wolves are wary of each other, circling each other slowly, sniffing at the air, low growls rumbling in their throats. The older, sandy blonde haired wolf takes a menacing step forward, and the pure white wolf holds its ground, but bows its head. Seeming to know when to back down, but not showing any weakness in the process.

A hierarchy is established, but both wolves are restless, hurting, grieving, so it's not too long before they're snapping at each other, and instead of clawing at each other, they rip at themselves. It is a long, _long_ night for both wolves.

* * *

 **Thursday, May 28th, 1998**

 **Malfoy Manor**

Burn. The heat radiated off of the vast fire in droves, thin tongues of heat licking at their skin and caressing their bodies.

The potent smell of burning oak was filling the air as the flames climbed higher and higher, reaching for the sky.

"It looks much better like this I find," Ginny said aloud.

"So everything the Malfoy family ever owned is in there, huh," Theo mused, hand thrown over Ginny's shoulders.

"Well we had to convince Andy to take all the portraits and our peacocks until we could rebuild, but aside from that, yes," Narcissa confirmed.

Ginny, Theo, Blaise and the Malfoys had returned to the Manor that had created so much grief for them all, with plans to torch the place.

Narcissa and Lucius were staying with Andromeda until they could finish rebuilding. With Ted gone, she was all alone in her house, and even though Remus and Teddy visit every day it's not the same. Especially not at night.

The Black sisters had begun to mend their relationship towards the end of the War, and even though it had been awkward and tense at first, it was almost like no time had passed at all. They were both irrevocably different than they had been when they were younger, and their relationship would never be what it once was-but perhaps it could be something better.

"Right, anyone want to go grab some food? We left home before eating anything," Ginny yawned, leaning against Theo, who instinctively wrapped his arms around his witch.

"That sounds like a good plan," Blaise grinned, and as he walked by Ginny he whispered lowly, "you guys ate _something_ alright this morning."

Ginny's eyes widened and she ducked out of Theo's arms before he could stop her. Her ginger hair whipped out behind her as she bolted after Blaise, who was running full speed, white teeth on display as he laughed.

"Zabini! Get back here you git!" Ginny screamed.

"The war really is over, isn't it?" Draco murmured beside Theo, who snorted and nodded, eyes locked on his witch, his smile lines showing as he started to grin brightly.

"I think so, Dray, I think so," Theo responded.

The flames beside them burned and blended with the yellows, oranges and reds of the rising sun, and somehow it seemed like they were officially, properly being given a fresh start.

* * *

 **Again, if anyone has any requests, don't be afraid to let me know via a PM or an ask on tumblr etc.**

 **Love you all,**

 **Indieblue xxx**


	39. Time To Move On

**Hello again, for the second day in a row ;)**

 **I can't say I'll keep this up, or that it will be daily, but I do want to try and write a mini drabble sized chapter every day from here on out until I finish where I've planned the story to end. So I guess you guys can look forward to that, if anyone wants to make any requests for the rest of the story, as always a PM or an ask on tumblr will do just fine :P**

 **I love you all.**

 **Thank you always to sunset and Kitty Cat xxx I love you both immensely.**

 **My tumblr: indiebluecrown. tumblr. com**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's belong to me.**

* * *

 **Tuesday, 17th November, 1998**

 **Nott Manor**

"You don't have to do this," he whispered gently in her ear, his strong arms wrapped around her shoulders from behind. His mere presence grounding her, and providing warmth where there was none in this forsaken, cold, lonely hole.

"I need to. I spent ten years there, I need to face it. Otherwise the fact that I'm no longer in there will always seem like a dream, a cruel dream, but a dream nonetheless," Gwen said, voice strong with determination, but riddled with a shaky tremble that cracked its way through her tough outwardly exterior and broke into her soft, supple and terrified interior.

She stepped forth into the darkness, the only sounds echoing through the cold stone cellar basement was her foot falls and his. At least until she was entirely engulfed by the impenetrable darkness, her eyes not quite adjusting as they should. Instead she relied on her other senses, her sense of smell, her _hearing_. The further she moved, the more she _heard._

"Wait here, love," Gwen said softly, but her voice rebounded and bounced around loudly. It was jarring and unwelcome in the darkness. Charlie stepped forwards, and she heard his lips part in protest, but then he closed them. She needed to do this alone. _Needed_ to.

She could feel the cold of the stone seeping into the soles of her shoes, clinging to her, and she wrapped her arms around her. She remembered all too well how it had felt. The persisting cold that never left, settling over her and then slipping into her veins, eventually covering and cutting straight to the bone. She was always so cold, even in her wolf form. Never free of it. Never free of the darkness either.

She had almost forgotten how _dark_ it was. _Almost_. Years of being suffocated by it had led her eyes to become adjusted to it. She had almost become friends with it, she had almost felt safe.

Now she only felt cold, and alone. The darkness had never been her friend, not really. It was filled with despair and loneliness, devoid of any love or comfort. Though it had tried, in its own way. It had made her stronger, and not allowed any weakness. She had hardened because of it.

Then she was there, in front of the cell she had been kept in for years. Staring into it from the other side was a strange feeling, one that didn't quite settle well inside of her. It made no sense, and the puzzle pieces were slightly askew.

 _Gwen_ , the darkness seemed to whisper, just like it had for all those years. _Come back to us,_ the voice seemed to say.

Gwen wasn't scared of it, not anymore. That didn't halt the hot, fat tears that sprung from her eyes and raced down her cheeks, her throat clenched harshly then, and she inhaled once, a long, raggedy breath. She exhaled heavily, body trembling.

Then she said the only thing that she could in that moment, "goodbye."

It had taken her months to come, months to gather the courage, but she was here. Finally, and it was time. Time to move on.

She rushed back through the darkness, one hand against the frigid as ice wall to guide her, and then she saw him. The light hitting his back, and casting shadows across his front, but he was there. Her light at the end of the darkness.

Gwen flung herself into his arms, hands sliding up and around his neck, fingers burying themselves into his long locks. "Let's go home. Take me home, Charlie," Gwen whispered, and Charlie nodded, his scruff rubbing against her neck, and she smiled happily.

It was time to move on.


	40. I Want Your Babies

**My darlings!**

 **I know I promised in the last chapter to update daily until I finished this fic, but I think my muse was saddened by the fact that it was ending, and she refused to aid me in finishing it off. After this, there are exactly three chapters left in this fic. It does make me sad, but this has been so much fun to write. Insanely so. I loved it. Thank you all for sticking through it all and reading it, thank you so much.**

 **Please leave a review and let me know what you think ;)**

 **My tumblr: indiebluecrown. tumblr. com**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's belong to me.**

* * *

 **Saturday, November 27th, 1999**

 **Potter Manor**

November had brought frigid weather with it, icy wind, overcast skies and despite all of this, Harry was the happiest he had been in ages.

The trees in the Orchard still had all of their leaves because of the charms placed on them, and Harry's boots crunched against the damp earth as he made his way over to one of the trees not too far into the Orchard; it was _her_ favourite tree, and he knew that she wasn't in the house, so he had ventured outside in search of her. Harry stopped at the base of the tree, tilting his head upwards and peering up until he saw her.

"I thought I'd find you up there," Harry called up at her, and he admired how ethereal she looked.

One of Luna's legs was dangling down, the other was bent slightly at the knee, but resting on top of the thick tree branch, her dirty blonde hair was blowing delicately in the wind, her hand was outstretched as a tree spite danced across her palm-its leafy body not as bright as it was during the summer, they were changing with their seasons, adapting to their surroundings.

Luna was wearing an ankle length white dress, made of floaty fabric, with thin straps, and a slit that went up to her mid thigh on the left hand side. She was wearing her dirigible plum earrings and her corkscrew necklace, and on her wrist was a silver bracelet with a few silver charms adorned with emeralds that Harry had given her. The bracelet had belonged to his Grandmother-Dorea Black-and Luna's entire face lit up with joy when he gave it to her.

"Harry!" Luna exclaimed, her silvery blue eyes sparkling with mirth as she looked down as him. The sprite jumped up and landed on the tree trunk a few feet about Luna's head.

"I'm coming up," Harry announced, and his face was set with determination as he gripped the small but sturdy branch within reach. A few minutes later of testing different branches, and making sure his footholds were secure later, he slipped in behind Luna. It took a bit of shifting before he had one leg on either side of the trunk, and his witch lying back against his chest.

Harry unbuttoned his robes, and wrapped them around his witch and himself; she was surprisingly warm even though she had been out in the cold for at least a couple hours.

"Harry," Luna murmurs, her dainty hands reaching through the robes's folds up to hold onto his forearms.

"Lu?"

"I want your baby."

"Su-P-Pardon?" Harry asked, flummoxed. He hadn't been expecting that at all.

"Not now, but I just thought I'd let you know that I want your baby. I thought it'd make proposing a lot easier," Luna hums, and Harry blinks blankly.

"How did you-nevermind," Harry laughs lightly, he should know by now not to ask Luna how she knew what she knew. She had the uncanny ability to know things that she had no way of knowing.

"I love you, Harry Potter," Luna said softly.

"I love you too, Luna Lovegood," Harry responds, shifting so that he could reach into his pocket and pull out the ring he had put there earlier. He thought it would be more inconspicuous if he hadn't had it in the bulky ring box-it occurred to him later that he could have shrunk it down to fit into his pocket properly. He was planning on proposing sometime today.

The ring had a silver band and a small sapphire stone in the middle, with two tiny diamonds on either side; it was simple and not as flashy as a lot of the rings the shopkeeper had tried to shove in his face; but he had immediately thought of Luna when he spotted it in the shop in Diagon Alley with Ron and Draco.

"Will you marry me, Luna Lovegood?" Harry whispered against the shell of her ear.

"I think that'd be delightful, Harry-" Luna responded, "-yes!"

Harry took her left hand, and slipped the ring onto her finger, noticing that it was a touch too big, but he heard Luna mutter something under her breath, and a moment later it fit her perfectly. Harry shook his head fondly, how he loved his witch.

"Babies, huh?"

"One day, we have plenty of time," Luna giggled.

"The rest of our lives," Harry said, it sounded firm, right, and like a promise.

"I'd like that, Harry," Luna murmured.

Just then, a gust of wind tumbled past them, blowing Luna's hair everywhere, and engulfing them. It was if nature itself was trying to convey its approval.

 _Yes,_ Harry thought. _I'd like that, Luna._ Harry hugged his witch closer to him, enjoying her warmth, and how soft she was. Harry felt happy and loved, and right now that was all that mattered.


	41. She Could Do Worse

**Hello hello :)**

 **I know, I know, I _just_ updated a little over an hour ago, but I managed to write both of these chapters today, and I figured you had all been waiting long enough :P**

 **I know they aren't going to get here for a while, but this chapter is dedicated to turbotri :P hehe, and also to my darling sunset, who is as always lovely and wonderful :D**

 **Please leave a review and let me know what you think ;)**

 **My tumblr: indiebluecrown. tumblr. com**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's belong to me.**

* * *

 **Tuesday, April 25th, 2000**

 **Zabini and Greengrass Household**

A few months ago Blaise and Daphne made the decision to move to Italy, not too far away from where his Mother grew up-Blaise himself was born in Great Britain-they had wanted to have a fresh start. The first thing Blaise did was get his floo connected to Nott Cottage, Draco's new home and The Burrow.

Narcissa and Lucius had moved to their home in the South of France, wanting to begin anew, and they had stayed in England long enough for Lucius to show Draco how to run the family business, and the Malfoy heir had his hands full cleaning things up.

Draco, Hermione, Theo, Ginny, Harry, Luna, Ron, Neville, Blaise and Daphne had spent three days cleansing the earth and purifying where Malfoy Manor had once been. They wanted to wipe the slate clean, and it took all of their magic combined; chanting until all of their throats were rubbed raw, and enormous bunches of magic, but they had done it.

Hermione and Ginny were in charge of designing and building what would be Hermione and Draco's home in the future. It would be nowhere near as big as Malfoy Manor had once been, and Hermione was also planning on opening up a sanctuary for Werewolves during the Full Moon towards the back of the property. She was currently battling out all the legalities with the pompous Ministry officials that said it was simply _too_ much for her to handle.

Hermione had narrowed her eyes, set the fat git's desk on fire and stormed out of the Ministry, hair sparking and eyes ablaze with determination. She loved a challenge, and she _hated_ being told what to do.

Blaise and Daphne's house was quite grand, right on the canal, and with enough room for whenever they decided to start a family-it was on the outskirts of the Wizarding community in Italy. Daphne was trying to find work in the Wizarding society in Italy, whilst Blaise was trying to find the best restaurants, and the best place to supply him with alcohol.

The house's theme was white with splashes of teal, and Daphne had renovated it so that as much natural light would get in as possible-tall and wide windows, glass doors. There was a window seat in their room, so she could drink tea on a morning or evening and read a book if she so desired.

Currently she had a book in her hands, but she wasn't reading it, lost in thought as she looked out of the window. Even though it was so early, there were people beginning to go about their daily lives, and she smiled gently at the sight of a young girl helping her Mother carry a bag of fresh produce.

She wasn't ready, or even remotely prepared for Blaise to pick her up, and throw her over her shoulder. She was so surprised that she dropped the book onto the teal cushion she had been seated on previously, and she felt him grip behind her legs, pressing a kiss to her thigh.

"Blaise! Put me down!" Daphne laughed gaily, pounding playfully across his back, and instead of responding, he simply nudged aside some of the fabric of her shorts with his nose, proceeding to nip her arse.

Her pounding only increased, but it didn't make a lick of difference. She could hear his low laughter rumbling in his chest, and she decided to change her tactics. "Babe, put me down. _Please._ "

Blaise smirked, bending his knees as he moved to put her down on her feet.

Daphne put her hands on her hips, eyes looking upwards at the stray, honey blonde bangs that had gotten in her eyes, and she blew out of the corner of her mouth, to try and shift them. She quickly recognised that it was a pointless struggle, and decided instead to focus her attention at the grinning man in front of her.

"C'mon babe, it's just a little fun," Blaise winked, his dazzling white smile on full display.

"You're such a prat," Daphne rolled her eyes, stepping into him, and wrapping her arms around him.

"What does that make you? You agreed to move to a different country with me, leaving behind your parents, your sister and all your friends," Blaise whispered, one of his dark curls falling in his eyes as he angled his head down to her.

"Like that stops them from coming round," Daphne scoffed.

Last night, as Daphne and Blaise were cuddling in bed, Pansy appeared, full of wrath through their floo-the green flames hadn't even died down before she was across the living room and into their bedroom. A bottle of Firewhisky in her hand, tossing aside her heels as she stormed through their living room-which were currently still where she had left them the previous night.

Pansy had plopped herself right in between Daphne and Blaise. She took a huge swig from the bottle clutched tightly in her hand, before she dove straight into complaining about how trying to have casual sex with someone never _bloody_ worked out, since someone _always_ developed feelings. Her current lover was Terry Boot, and Blaise knew that for once, Pansy was _also_ developing feelings. Blaise and Daphne had a running bet that they would be living together by the end of the year.

"True," Blaise chuckled softly.

Blaise's hands began to wander, and before Daphne could protest, saying that she needed to go job hunting today, he was gripping her arse, and his mouth was hungrily on hers. Heated kisses that made her toes curl. It was at times like these where she was _grateful_ , inordinately happy, and thankful that he was still alive. She was never going to feel the same way about anyone else like she did about him.

"You're stuck with me, Blaise Zabini. From now until the day one of us dies," Daphne murmured against his lips.

"Fuck that witch, you're stuck with me after we both die, because I'm not letting you go," Blaise growled, nipping at her bottom lip.

"That's probably one of the most romantic things you've ever said to me," Daphne giggled, burying her fingers in his tresses.

"Shut up and kiss me," Blaise snarled, pulling her closer, closer, closer.

If she had to be stuck with someone for all eternity, she could do worse.


	42. Blonde, Curly Haired Malfoys

**My dears!**

 **It feels surreal to say this, but this is the second last chapter before this story is officially over. I kind of don't like the fact that there are going to be an odd number of chapters, but at the same time it's just how things worked out.**

 **Thank you to everyone who's read, reviewed, favourited and followed this story. Just thank you. It means a lot to me, _a lot._ So, just thank you**

 **My tumblr: indiebluecrown. tumblr. com**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's belong to me.**

 **For Kitty Cat and Sunset xxx**

* * *

 **Saturday, October 7th, 2000**

 **Malfoy Residence**

A blond man was sitting on the edge of his bed, feet dangling inches away from the hardwood floor, his back slightly hunched and his hands clasped loosely in his lap.

He was staring absentmindedly out of the wide window directly in front of him, dawn was now breaking, the thin beams of yellow and pink cutting through the darkness.

"Draco?" He heard his witch groan behind him, and he twisted to get a proper look at her. She was stretching her body out, back arched, hands above her head, toes pointed, her eyes were closed and her wild curls were a mess around her head.

"Morning, love. You should go back to bed," Draco murmured, shifting to scoot back on the bed towards her.

"No, it's okay. I'm awake now, may as well stay up."

"You did go to bed at seven last night," Draco teased gently, putting one hand over on the other side of her body and cautiously resting some of his weight on her lower abdomen, his other hand moving to rest on top of her ribcage.

"What time did you go to sleep?" Hermione asked, placing a hand on top of Draco's.

"A bit later," Draco responded vaguely.

"Is it symptoms from the full moon? It's a week away after all," Hermione frowned, her lips pursed.

"I'm fine, Hermione," Draco reassured his significant other.

"You sure?"

"Yes," Draco smirked.

"Okay, love," Hermione murmured, one of her hands moving to stroke his cheek. "I'm definitely not going to be able to get back sleep though."

"You want to go and spend the day in Muggle London?" Draco asked, turning his face and kissing the inside of her palm.

"Who says I don't have prior engagements?" Hermione wriggled her eyebrows playfully.

"Prior engagements my arse," Draco rolled his eyes, "you and Ginny are having brunch tomorrow. I also refuse to let you do any work today."

"But-"

"But nothing."

"This is the first month that we are going to properly have werewolves here for the full moon, I need to make sure everything is ready," Hermione said.

"It is. You've been working on this for ages, Hermione. Now can you stop fussing and agree to spend the day with me?" Draco leaned down and kissed her deeply, for a moment she didn't move-a silent protest, but then she melted into it and she was giving just as much as he was.

Draco pulled away slightly, moving to instead rest his cheek on her ribcage, looking up at her imploringly.

Hermione scrunched up her nose, and a small smile brushed across her face, "okay. Fine. Yes. I would love to spend the day with you, Draco."

"Good," Draco smirked.

They both sat up, and shifted so that they were hugging, and Hermione whispered gently, "is Theo going to ask her today?"

"Ask who what?" Draco smirked, his tone playful and teasing.

"Ask Ginny to marry him, you know exactly what I'm talking about," Hermione scoffed, pinching his back.

" _Ow_ , that fucking hurt, witch," Draco scowled.

"No it didn't, stop whinging," Hermione snorted, turning her head and kissing his cheek. "Seriously, is he going to ask her?"

"I guess you'll just have to wait and find out," Draco murmured, pulling away from Hermione and rolling off of their bed.

"Draco Malfoy! You git!"

Hermione threw the sheets off herself, tucking her wild curls behind her ears as she headed to the left of the room, into the bathroom. The morning light is now starting to shine in from the large window on the left of the room-which was facing the East.

Hermione stared at her reflection, and she saw all the little changes that had occurred over the last few years-her smile lines were a bit deeper, and she was a much healthier weight than she had been at any point during the War, her hair was longer, and the curls were still wild, but now the curls weren't as tight.

"Gorgeous," a voice came from behind Hermione, and a moment later she saw him appear in the mirror behind her. Draco wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, and she let her head fall back against his chest, the light caught the glint from the emerald on her left hand.

"Can you believe we've been married for a month?" Hermione asked softly.

"Most mornings I wake up and can't believe you're there at all, Hermione," Draco responded.

"Well, I can't believe that you're on a first name basis with Harry and Ron," Hermione replied in a lighter tone.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Draco smirked.

They stood like that for a few moments in peaceful bliss before Hermione's face fell, crumpled, and she choked out, "they're never going to meet their grandchildren."

Draco didn't even need to ask her who she meant. Her parents. They had both die in a car accident in Australia, a month before the War ended. The pain wasn't as crippling as before, but some days it still hit her really hard.

"Grandchildren?" Draco said, hugging her tighter and swaying back and forth, kissing the side of her head.

"Well...we are going to have children right? I thought you said you wanted them." Hermione sniffed.

Draco was taken back to Nott Cottage, and a smug Blaise yelling about 'curly haired, blond Malfoys running around'. "Of course I want children, the world will only be more blessed with any children of mine."

"Blessed or cursed?" Hermione laughed sharply-it was a harsh and slightly wet sound, but Draco could see the teasing spark in her eyes.

"Why don't we find out?" Draco asked, nipping her earlobe, and he felt his witch shiver against him.

"Do we have to go into Muggle London today? Can we just stay in today?" Hermione asked.

"Your wish is my command, Hermione _Malfoy_."

Hermione didn't even hesitate before demanding that he, "take me to bed, Draco _Malfoy_ , and I don't want to leave for the rest of the day."

"Yes, Milady," Draco grinned devilishly, letting go of her, bending his knees and then swiftly picking her up, carrying her princess style. Hermione let out a happy peal of laughter as she threw her arms around his neck.

"I love you," Hermione smiled as she kissed him.

"I love you," Draco grinned as he kissed her back.

Ginny Weasley and Theodore Nott were officially engaged later that night, and Ginny flew through the Malfoy's floo, bursting into the room with the good news-Theo following closely behind-and they were greeted by the sight of two very naked Malfoys, Draco's arse the first thing they saw.

* * *

 **I thought I should also mention that I have an Ao3 account now, under the same username, and I am slowly but surely moving all of my fics onto there. Currently I'm posting on both sites, but I just thought I ought to let you know.**

 **Love,**

 **Indieblue xxx**


	43. Fin

**My darlings!**

 **This is definitely a bittersweet moment. For sure. I remember when there were ten people reading this story, and I have fond memories of Kitty Cat, chic. geek. fangirl. freak, Anna Bear and Sunset and all of you other lovelies reading and reviewing my work. Thank you all. This is the end of the line, the end of the road. I hope you enjoy everything turbotri, and that whenever you get to this point you will be happy with how things turned out.**

 **I didn't want to have a concrete ending, because I felt like it worked better to have it somewhat open ended. I really do hope you all like this chapter. Eventually I will find time to re-write and edit all of the chapters so that they are to the best standard that they can be. Fix any spelling mistakes etc.**

 **Thank you all.**

 **Please leave a review and let me know what you think ;)**

 **My tumblr: indiebluecrown. tumblr. com**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's belong to me.**

 **For everyone that's made it this far xxx**

* * *

 **Tuesday, December 11th, 2001**

 **Nott Cottage**

It's freezing, all the leaves are gone from the trees in the surrounding area; all that's left is several feet of snow covering everything in sight.

The pure white powder crunched under the black leather boots of the ginger haired girl that was currently trekking across it-frowning slightly as her feet sunk into it with every step she took.

A icy wind blew across her, her hair obeying its whims and fancies, and her thick, woollen beige scarf whipped out to the side. She pulled part of it up and over her mouth, tucking it closer around her throat.

She's wearing a emerald green knit dress with sleeves that come just past her elbows, a pair of black tights, and there are beige knit gloves on her hands.

Her hair is brushing her lower back now, much longer than it was a few years prior.

She stared up at the sky now, light grey clouds almost blending into the sky. A thick fog came out of her nostrils as she breathed out heavily. She watched as a light snowfall fell, felt a snowflake land on her face, and it was definitely in her hair.

 _So much has changed in the last few years. Harry and Luna are married, as are Blaise and Daphne, Draco and Hermione. Neville and Hannah are engaged, Ron and Padma are dating. Gwen and Charlie are still dodging the relatives that insist they get hitched, though they don't know that Gwen is a few months pregnant,_ Ginny mused.

Gwen had come to her a few weeks ago to tell her the joyous news and asked Ginny if she wanted to be the Godmother; Ginny of course had thrown herself at Gwen with mirth in her eyes and had held fast to the older witch.

 _Hermione and Draco's baby was born a couple months ago, and she's the sweetest little thing, Hermione's eyes and Draco's hair. Blaise's prediction about blonde, curly haired Malfoys seems to be true,_ Ginny laughs to herself.

They see plenty of their friends since they all spend so much time at Nott Cottage, it's like they never moved out. Their floo networks are always open to each other's homes-which had led to some _interesting_ evenings. At least Blaise didn't drink anywhere near as much Firewhisky as he used to.

Ginny hears the front door creak open behind her and she spun around, and then there he was in front of her. Her wizard.

Ginny sauntered over to him, grabbing the front of his black jumper and pulling herself flush against him. He hadn't shaved in a couple weeks so he had a lot of scruff across his cheeks at the moment, that gave him a rugged look that she was quite enjoying, his piercing blue eyes dance with happiness as he looks down at her, and his dark chocolate brown curls are just long enough to cover the tips of his ears.

"Teddy."

"Red."

"Ready for tomorrow?" Ginny asked with a smirk.

"Are you?" Theo shot back with a smile, wrapping his arms around her lower back and drawing her into him, picking her up slightly, so that she was on her tiptoes.

"Well if we could elope and not worry about all the fuss that's going to happen tomorrow, that would be fantastic," Ginny teased. She knew her Mother would have a fit and faint to say the least. Her wrath would one to behold, and one Ginny didn't wish to incur if she needn't.

"Ah, but then that would go against all the rules," Theo said nonchalantly, but the corners of his lips twitched upwards.

" _Rules_? When do I ever follow the rules?" Ginny cocked an eyebrow, pulling back and pushing him playfully. Theo's eyebrows rose, as if she was instigating a challenge with that small shove.

Ginny grinned before wriggling out of his arms, running around him and into the house, legs pumping as she tried to get into their bedroom. Before she could close the door however, he was right there.

Ginny backed away slowly, chest rising and falling, and Theo closed the door with his foot, leaning back against it, and watching her through half-hooded eyes.

Ginny grinned wickedly when she surged forward, hands sliding upwards to bury her fingers in his hair. Theo's hands were on her arse, and he picked her up. Her knees bumped into the wood harshly, and it was a bit jarring, and she paused for a second.

"You alright?" Theo murmured, squeezing her arse when she didn't respond.

"Grand," Ginny hummed, shaking her head, and then ducking back in for another searing kiss, her tongue swiping across his bottom lip, seeing entrance to his mouth.

Theo tasted like chocolate chip cookies, and Ginny smirked at that-it meant he had snuck a couple even though she told him to leave them alone for now. His smoky, woodsy smell was wrapping her in its embrace and she sighed happily into the kiss.

Ginny tightened her legs around his waist as Theo moved forward, one of his hands held out to guide him as they stumbled into the bathroom.

They hastily helped rid each other of their clothes: Theo pulling off Ginny's boots, and then peeling off her tights whilst pressing chaste kisses along her leg, Ginny hurriedly tugged her dress up and over her head, her fingers deftly working at Theo's belt as he rid himself of his jumper, kicking off his own boots at the same time.

Ginny grasped Theo's face and kissed him deeply as he bent-double and pulled his jeans down and off of his body.

Ginny let out a merry squeal when Theo tugged her back into him, his hands around her back and working to divest her of her brasserie, making a triumphant noise when the clasp came undone. She let go of him long enough to take the straps off, and then she tugged on his hands and walked him back towards the tub, stopping to rip her socks off, stepping backwards into the tub in only her knickers.

Theo stepped in after her with his boxers on, and Ginny reached around him to close the curtain. Theo stepped forward and caged her against the wall with his forearms, pressing some of his weight against her.

Ginny moaned lightly as she reached down in between their bodies and rubbed at his bulge through his boxers. Giggling when he growled, and then leant down to nip greedily at her body lip. She rolled her body forward, her taut nipples rubbing across his abdomen. She caught her bottom lip between her teeth.

They had paused, breathing as one, staring into each other's eyes-ice blue met warm blue-and then Theo reached out and turned on the water; which of course was icy, and caused Ginny to let out a sharp noise in surprise.

A hearty laugh erupts from Theo's mouth, rumbling from deep in his gut as he dunks his head under the spray, turning the knob so that it's towards the hot side now.

Ginny shoves him, hard, but laughs as he steps back under the water, grabbing her and pulling her with him.

"I love you, Red," Theo said as he ducked his head and kissed her, the water running along his face and down his chin, trickling along the edges of their lips.

"I love you too, Teddy," Ginny responded in between kisses. Gasping when Theo pushed her panties aside and let a finger tease at her folds.

Fumbling fingers made quick work of their remaining clothing, tossing it out of the shower without care, and it landed in a soaked pile on the tiles, the water leaking out and forming a puddle around the fabric.

Theo lips were right against Ginny's, but they weren't kissing, not yet. Ginny's back was pressed against the cool tile as the hot spray ran along the length of their bodies.

Theo reached down with one hand, and gripped his cock, sliding his hips forward, and his cock moved between her folds. Ginny gasped sharply when his finger purposefully brushed her clit.

"Baby, fuck me. Please," Ginny breathed, fingers delving into Theo's curls and gripping them painfully.

"Bloody hell, I love you so much baby," Theo groaned as he slowly slid his cock into her pussy. Ginny's nails scraped along Theo's scalp and she whimpered lightly.

Theo pulled back slightly, and then plunged back into her depths.

That was when he kissed her, one hand moving to grip under her thigh and to bring it up to wrap around his waist, the other was on her back, pulling her flush against him.

Theo's moans as he moved in and out of Ginny were some of her favourite sounds, and she rolled her hips to meet his, sloppily kissing his neck, her thighs quivering and she let out a shuddering moan when he fisted a hand into her hair, pulling on it so her neck was then exposed to him, and he nipped at her pulse point.

It was all fire and heat as they moved together, as if they were one, as they came undone in each other's arms. Between panted breaths, they whispered words of affection, and commands for what they both wanted.

Ginny saw spots, and one of her hands dug into Theo's back as she came, her legs almost giving out, Theo's loud moan in her ear.

Her entire body was trembling, and she pressed a gentle kiss to his nose, "you sure we can't elope?"

Theo's warm chuckle caused her to start grinning, "no, love. We can't elope."

"I love you, Theodore Nott," Ginny smirked, face scrunching up with happiness when he kissed her forehead.

"I love you too, Ginevra Weasley...soon to be Nott," Theo said cheekily.

 _Yes, soon to be Nott_ , Ginny thought joyously.

After that, they helped each other shower, scrubbing each other's backs and shampooing and conditioning the other's hair.

Half an hour later, Ginny had a towel wrapped around her body as she brushed out some tangles in her hair, with a slight frown on her face. Theo-who had just pulled a warm, white jumper with a emerald 'T' on the front over his head, his fingers moving to adjust the drawstring on his pyjama bottoms.

"What?"

"I was just wondering what was the first thing you noticed about me-" Ginny murmured, "-not that's important or anything...I was just curious."

"That's easy, Red. You should know that," Theo smiled, sitting on the edge of their bed, rubbing his head with a small, fluffy towel to dry his damp curls, one eye closed.

Ginny strode over to him, and he scooted backwards far enough for her to sit in his lap, "really now? What was it?"

"It was your ginger hair."

 _ **Fin**_

* * *

 **I swear, I'm not crying *sniffs***

 **Seriously, thank you all. I have plenty of other stories in case you are interested in reading anything else I've written. I am so glad that I got to share this with all of you, and all of your support has been amazing.**

 **Indieblue xxx**

 **Monday, November 28th, 2016.**

 **It Was Her Ginger Hair ;)**


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